Vendetta
by KittyKat8888
Summary: Catherine Grey had a normal life. A boyfriend, good friends, and a bright future. That is until the murders started. Now, she doesn't know who to trust and she could be killed at any time, because, for some reason, the killer seems to have some sort of personal vendetta against her.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER**: **I do not own Scream.**

* * *

CHAPTER ONE

* * *

"_Welcome to my world, bitch. I should warn you princess- the first time tends to get a little messy."_

_ - Freddy Krueger; Freddy vs. Jason (2003)_

* * *

The first time I ever kissed a boy was when I was eleven, and I had no idea that later in life, I would come to hate that kiss. I didn't hate it because it was awkward or because neither of us knew what we were doing.

I hated it because I kissed Stu Macher.

Of course, this was before he became a killer, but I guess some part of me wishes that my eleven year old self had sensed something.

But I hadn't, and I had kissed him anyway, our noses bumping together and me giggling into the kiss.

And then I had went home and called Sidney on the phone and we had talked about it, and then I called Tatum who seemed much more excited for me.

Four years later, the fall before I turned sixteen, Stuart Macher became my first boyfriend. We dated for five months, but I broke up with him on my birthday, at the beginning of summer.

And that was that. We were still friends, because how could we not be? We had known each other since preschool. We had shared snack packs and juice boxes. That's something you don't forget and let die, I think.

But Stu never got over it. He never got over me, even though I had moved on. He wasn't obvious about it of course, and he didn't reveal his feelings for me until the very end.

* * *

It all started on a Wednsday, when I was in the shower, getting ready for school. I was singing Joan Jett's 'Bad Reputation' and scrubbing my hair and dancing as best I could in the small space.

It wasn't until I got out that I heard my mom scream from downstairs.

I tensed, listening closely. I could plainly hear the sound of sobbing, and in an instant I had thrown on my threadbare robe and was rushing out of the bathroom and down the stairs, peeking over the banisters.

"Mom?" I called, hurrying into the living room to see my mother doubled over on the couch her face buried into a throw pillow.

"Mom, what's wrong?" I sat down awkwardly next to her, placing my hands on her shoulders and trying to be comforting.I wasn't good at this. My mom and I had never been close.

I had always been closer to my dad, but after the divorce a year and a half prior, my relationship with my mom had become even more strained.

She peeked at me through the gap between her arm and the pillow, her brown eyes wet and tear-filled.

I had gotten her red hair, but that was where the similarities stopped. My mother was a tall, tan, curvy woman, with long thick red hair and brown eyes. She was a beautiful woman, and always had been, but she was very self-absorbed, and cared too much about her appearance.

I on the other hand, had reached a towering height of 4'11", before I had stopped growing completely, much to my chagrin. My hair was long and thick and fell in messy, curly ringlets. I was small, and very narrowly built, with small hips, and a small waist, and a small chest and narrow shoulders, and I had freckles everywhere, on my face and neck and shoulders and back. They were like cinnamon, sprinkled on top of milky white coffee. I had my grandmother's long, straight nose, and her thin pale pink lips, and my father's bright blue eyes.

My mother was always criticizing the way I looked, maybe because she wanted me to look more like her, I don't know.

"Mom?" I demanded in a firm voice, narrowing my eyes. "What is it?"

She pulled her face from the pillow, speaking in a low voice that I could barely understand.

"They found her…gutted…dead…hung." She sobbed again, burying her face swiftly back into the pillow. Before she did, I saw mascara stains on it.

_What the fuck! That really helped me…_

I scowled at her, before pulling her shoulder, forcing her to emerge from the pillow,.

"Who did? I don't understand. Explain!"

She frowned, before finally pointing back to the television where the news was playing, though it was muted.

On the screen, I could see a familiar house surrounded by police cars and news vans. There was yellow crime scene taped spread all about, and from the tree in the front yard, I could see a frayed rope hanging from one of the limbs. It looked as if someone had cut it at the end, and I frowned.

"That house looks really familiar…wait…that's Casey Becker's house, isn't mom? Christ, what happened?"

It had to be something major, because of the cops there, and upon closer inspection I could see Tatum's brother, Dewey, walking across the porch, talking to the sheriff.

"She…the Beckers…last night…Casey…murdered…"

I turned to face my mom, jaw tightening, as disbelief flared within me.

Casey Becker couldn't be dead. It wasn't possible. Not Casey.

I knew her. She was my lab partner. She helped me understand stoichiometry and I'd had classes with her since elementary school.

She couldn't be dead. Not nice, sweet Casey, who everybody loved. Nice, sweet Casey, who always had something nice to say and who didn't like drama, and who could chat on adoringly about things like movies and Steve, her boyfriend, and things like that.

Not Casey…

And then a could sense of acceptance crept in, and I frowned.

"Casey is dead? Are you sure?" I looked at my mom, hoping and pleading that this was some sick joke.

"Mhm." She nodded slightly.

"God…poor Steve."

My mom let out another low sob. "He's dead too." She told me, making my heart skip a beat.

Steve was dead too? He had always been a very friendly guy, a playful flirt, but he was never serious about it, and had always been careful to not do it in front of Casey. He didn't bully the less popular kids, and it was obvious that he genuinely loved football. He would have had a full-ride to college, because he was all-american, and because he was the star quarter-back.

"Oh my God." I stood, hurrying over to the cordless phone and snatching it up. I quickly dialed in Tatum's number before holding it back to my ear.

She might know something, with her brother, Dewey being the Sheriff and all.

The phone rang about three times, before Tatum's mother, Mrs. Riley picked it up.

"Hello?" her voice sounded strained, but at least she wasn't sobbing like my mother.

"Mrs. Riley, I know it's early, but can I talk to Tatum?"

"Oh, Cat dear, is this you? Of course you can. Hold on for a second." Mrs. Riley took the phone away from her ear before hollering for Tatum to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" A familiar voice said into the phone.

"Tatum, what's going on?" I said immediately.

"God, Cat, did you see the news? Can you fucking believe it?"

"No." I said truthfully. "No, I can't. My mom is in hysterics on the couch. She used to babysit Casey, you

know."

"Yeah, I remember. Dewey says that crime is horrible. Worse than Sid's mom's murder."

"God," I shook my head. "That bad huh?"

"Mhm. It's like something out of those horror movies that you like so much. Anyway, we'll talk more at school. I have to finish getting ready."

"Yeah. So do I. I'll see you later."

"See ya." I hung up, placing the phone back on the charger.

"Mom," I said, giving her shoulder a light shove. "Get up. You can't stay here crying all day. You have to go to work."

She lifted her head and gave me the dirtiest look she could muster, a cold sort of contempt in her chocolate brown eyes.

"I'm going to go finish getting ready. Go to work mom."

* * *

Woodsboro High was in a frenzy when I pulled up to it. Police and reporters were everywhere, and I'm not gonna lie, a lot of the students looked really uncomfortable. I parked my jeep and got out, looking at the reporters warily.

If any of them remembered me from the year prior, when I had helped Sidney Prescott get through her mother's murder, than no doubt they would descend upon me like pirahna. But it didn't seem like they did, and so I grabbed my backpack and hurried past them, heading towards the front entrance of the school.

"Cat!"

I turned at the sound of my name to see Sidney hurrying towards me, confusion plainly written across her face.

"What's going on?" She asked, just as Taum came up behind her.

"Do you believe this shit?" She asked, looking between me and Sidney.

"What happened?" Sidney asked.

"Oh God! You don't know?" Tatum's mouth opened in shock.

"Casey Becker and Steve Forrest were killed last night." I told Sidney

"No way."

"And not just killed, Sid. We're talking splatter-movie killed- split open end to end." Tatum went on, not bothering to sugar-coat it at all.

"Casey Becker? She sits next to me in English." Sidney said.

I sighed. "She's my lab partner in chemistry. Or…at least she was."

"Her parents found her hanging from a tree. Her insides on the outside."

I looked at Tatum in shock. She hadn't told me this on the phone. Suddenly my mother's incoherant babbling made sense.

"Do they know who did it?" Sid asked, but Tatum shook her head.

"Fucking cluesles- they're interrogating the entire school. Teachers, students, staff, janitors…"

"Yeah," I said sarcastically. "Because one of our janitors totally went to Casey's house and fucking gutted her and her boyfriend with his mop."

"They think it's school related?" Sidney asked.

Tatum shrugged. "They don't know. Dewey said this is the worst crim they've ever seen. Even worse than…"

I gave her a stern look, clearly telling her not to say it.

"Well…it's bad."

Sidney looked back at one of the reporters, a real bitch named Gale Weathers. Her face was strained, and then, without another word, she hurried past us.

"Poor Sidney." Tatum sighed, before waving goodbye too me, and hurrying off as well.

"Hey there, kitty cat." A voice said in my ear, making me whip around to face my boyfriend, Randy Meeks, who smiled at me. There was a certain sort of excitement in his eyes, and he grinned widely.

"Jesus, Randy. You look like a kid who's about to get ice cream."

He put an arm around my shoulder, turning me around and walking with me.

"Can you believe it?" He asked. "Can you fucking believe it?"

"Believe what? That two students from our school were skewered like fucking pigs last night? No, I can't."

Randy frowned. Obviously he hadn't thought about it like this. "Well…I mean…"

I patted his arm, smiling up at him. "Forget it, babe." I said, before pulling him down towards me so that I could kiss him.

* * *

Chemistry was more depressing than usual. The teacher, an elderly man named Mister Bates, sat behind the desk at the front of the lab, absently staring at the empty seat beside me.

Occasionally I glanced at it too, but mostly I was drawing a comic version of Freddy Kruegar in my sketch book. If I had my colored pencils with me, it would look even cooler.

The other students in class were whispering rapidly to each other, casting occasional glances at Casey's seat.

I was uncomfortable, to say the least. I wished I could be sitting somewhere else, and not here, where people were free to gawk at me, because I was Casey's lab partner.

I looked up as one of the office workers, a pretty brunette, walked in and handed Mister Bates a yellow slip of paper. He looked at it before looking up at me.

"Catherine, ther would like to see you in the office."

I frowned and put my sketch book back in my bag, before standing up.

I pulled my bag over my shulder before hurrying out after the brunette.

She glanced back at me once as we headed to the office, and when we got in, she pointed at Principal Himbry's office, a grim sort of smile on her face.

"In there." She said, and I nodded, before pushing the door open.

Police were everywhere in the room. Sitting, standing, leaning.

Principal Himbry stood by his desk speaking to Sheriff Burke, who looked up at me as I walked in.

"Hey there, Cat." He said, giving me his kind smile.

I smiled back. It was nice to see him when he wasn't bringing my intoxicated mother home again.

"Nice to see you Sheriff, even though the the circumstances kind of suck. Dewey." I added, nodding at him and hopping up onto an exposed corner of Himbry's desk.

"So, what's up?" I asked, cocking my head to one side.

"They just want to ask you a few questions Miss Gray." Himbry said, patting my shoulder lightly.

"Oh? Alright then." I smiled at them lightly again, trying to lighten up the mood.

* * *

Lunch had always been my favorite time of day, not only because we got out of class, but because I don't tend to eat breakfast, and by the time lunch comes around I'm starving.

And so, I sat casually on Randy's lap, eating my bag of grapes slowly. I'd already eaten my sandwhich

"Hunt?" Tatum asked. "Why would they ask if you like to hunt?"

We had been talking about our different encounters with the police when we had been called to questioning.

Randy, and Tatum and Sid's boyfriends, Stu and Billy, had been asked if they liked to hunt, which I found amusing.

"I don't know, they just did."

"Because their bodies were gutted." Randy said simply, making Sid flinch.

"Thanks Randy." Billy said dryly.

"They didn't ask me if I like to hunt." Tatum said, looking confused.

"Yeah, me either." I shrugged.

"Because there is no way a girl could have killed them." Stu said simply.

I frowned at him, narrowing my eyes.

"That is so sexist." Tatum said. "The killer could easily be female- _Basic Instinct_."

"That was an ice pick." Randy told her quickly. "Not exactly the same thing."

"Need I point out, Randy, that in the original _Friday the 13__th_, Mrs. Voorhees was the killer." I smiled sweetly at him, making him roll his eyes

"Oh, and let's not forget love, the cult classic _Sleepaway Camp_."

"Now, I gotta call you on that one, Cat. In _Sleepaway Camp_, it was a boy dressed as a girl…very complicated backstory."

I rolled my eyes, leaning back against his chest.

"The point I'm trying to make is that the killer can easily have more estrogen than testoterone smart ass."

"And the point I'm trying to make is that no girl would be able to stomach gutting another person." Randy said, pulling on my hair playfully.

"Yeah, Casey and Steve were completely hollowed out. Takes a man to do something like that." Stu said, trying to sound very masculine and tough.

"Or a man's mentality." Tatum said.

"Which we all know you haven't got." I added, looking pointedly at Stu.

"How do you…gut someone?" Sid asked quietly, almost to herself.

We all turned to look at her, the silence heavy and serious.

"You take a knife," Stu said slowly. "and slit from the groin to the sternum."

Sidney shivered slightly, and suddenly I lashed out, smacking Stu on the back of the head.

"It's called tact, you fuck rag."

"Hey, Stu? Didn't you used to date Casey?"

It was a cheap shot from Sidney, but I grinned.

"For about two seconds." Stu said, looking at Sidney.

"Before she dumped him for Steve." Randy said matter-of-factly.

Tatum turned to Stu, surprised.

"I thought you dumped her for me."

"I did. He's full of shit." Stu said glaring at Randy.

"And…uh…are the police aware that you dated the victim?" I asked sweetly, making Stu turn his glare onto me.

"No, see, if that's the way it worked _Catherine_, wouldn't you be dead?"

There was something in his voice that sent a chill up my spine, and I moved back, closer to Randy, rolling my eyes at him.

"So…what were you implying…that I liked killed her or something?"

"It would certainly improve your high school Q." Randy spoke up, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Stu was with me last night." Tatum said, resting a hand on her boyfriend's knee.

"Ew." I wrinkled my nose at the thought, while Randy rolled his eyes.

"Oooooh…before or after, he sliced and diced?"

"Fuck you, nut case. Where were you last night?" Tatum asked, narrowing her eyes at Randy.

"Working," he said, taking one of my grapes and popping it into his mouth. "Thank you."

"I thought the video store fired you." Tatum said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Twice."

"But what about af-" Stu started, but I cut him off.

"I picked him up after he got off, and we went to his house."

And with that I turned and kissed Randy, who grinned as we pulled away.

"I didn't kill anybody." Stu said, quietly, making me look back at him.

"Nobody's saying you did." Billy says quickly, looking at his friend.

"Besides,"Randy cleared his throat before imitating Stu perfectly. "Takes a man to do something like that."

"I'm gonna gut your ass in a second."

"Oooh, someone should be recording this. We could use it as proof." I joked, smiling wryly

"Tell me something," Randy said, before adopting a nasally voice. " Did you really put her liver in the mailbox? I heard they found her liver in the mailbox."

Sidney looked away, trying to keep us from seeing the look on her face, but both Tatum and I saw it.

"Randy, you goon fuck, I'm eating here." Tatum hissed, looking at Sidney worriedly.

I rolled my eyes before standing, turning to kiss Randy swiftly on the cheek.

"Gotta go." I said with a shrug. "I've got to edit some stuff for media."

With that I turned to hurry off.

* * *

The media classroom was empty, which I was thankful for. Even the teacher was gone, but it was his free period, and so long as he didn't mind me being in here it wasn't a problem.

I had taken my cell phone from my bag, and it was sitting on the desk next to the computer as I went through some of the footage. The teacher had my number, and in case he wanted to remind me of something, I wanted him to be able to contact me quickly.

My phone rang suddenly, the cheerful tune ringing out, making me jump.

I picked it up quickly, answering it.

"Hello?" I pressed it to my ear, not bothering to look at the caller i.d.

"Hello, Kitty Cat."

A deep, husky voice said.

"Hi?"

The voice laughed slightly, making me frown.

"Who's this?" I asked, pulling the phone away to examine the screen. It said 'Unknown Number' across it, and I rolled my eyes.

"Nobody," the voice said. " I just have a question to ask…that's all."

"What?"

I leaned back, away from the computer.

"How many killers does it take to gut a cat?"

It was obviously a threat, and it sent chills up my spine.

"_Excuse me_?"

The voice gave a deep laugh, as if what I had said was extremely amusing.

"Who the hell is this?" I snapped, a scowl on my face.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" The voice taunted before laughing again.

"I'll talk to you later, Kitten. I guarantee it."

And then there was a click and the voice was gone.

I sat there for a moment, the phone still pressed to my ear.

I was feeling several emotions at once.

. Annoyance.

Fear…

Slowly I pulled the phone away from my ear and closed it, setting it down on the desk next to the keyboard.

My first thought was absolutely irrational; that someone was trying to kill me.

Or…at least it was irrational at the time.

And at the time I had to laugh at myself and push the thought away, because I didn't know anyone who could hate me enough to kill me, because I had never done anything so bad that it would make someone want to kill me.

So it had to be a joke. A joke would explain it, and besides, that thought was much more comforting than thinking that someone was out to murder me.

But still, there was an icy feeling deep in my soul that I couldn't quite shake.

* * *

**Author's Note: I feel horrible, posting this when I shouldn't have, but my God, I couldn't wait. Besides, this project won't be huge. In fact, it will only be ten chapters. But it is very important to me, as it is based off of the first fanfic I finished that I posted on Quizilla. It was fairly popular on there, but after reading it a few months ago I was appaled at how bad my writing was then, and so I decided to rewrite it, and do some majort character revisions to the main character who's name was originally Alex Grey. While I love the name, I didn't feel comfortable using it for a Scream fanfiction. But I did decide to keep her last name the same, because I love the simplicity of it, and it had originally started out as a X-men reference. While there are virtually no similarities between my character and Jean Grey, I do like the reference. **

**I decided, for the sake of the story, to make it so that Cat and Randy are already together, because it is no easy task to work meaningful relationship advancement into a horror story. Do not be fooled though as this story started out, and will always be, a tribute to Randy Meeks. Not only that, but it is also a tribute to Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson .**

**So, if you've finished this chapter please let me know by following and reviewing this story, because I would love to have the support of you all as I work through the ten chapters ahead. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Scream.**

* * *

"_This, is God."_

_Freddy Krueger; Nightmare on Elm Street(1984)_

* * *

I hated it when I was alone at home at night, because it usually meant that my mom was out at a bar somewhere, getting real friendly with the bottom of a tequila bottle.

And I knew, before I even got home from school that day, that tonight was going to be no would be out drinking away until some time early in the morning when Sheriff Burke would show up on our door step with her hanging off his arm, half passed out. Either that, or I'd have to go pick her up at her holding cell in the morning.

So, the first thing I did when after I left the media room after school was drive through Taco Bell to get me some dinner.

And then I drove home and put on _A Nightmare on Elm Street_, my personal favorite movie.

I had to rewind it first, so while it did that I ran upstairs and changed into and oversized blue T-shirt and some jogging shorts that barely peeked out from under my shirt.

And then I was back downstairs and pressing play on the VCR before plopping down on the couch, my meal in my lap, and my Dr. Pepper on the coffee table.

* * *

It was at the point in the movie where Tina was getting dragged across the ceiling when the telephone rang, making me jump slightly.

I reached over the arm of the coffee table to pick it up quickly.

"Hello?"

"Cat, oh my fucking God, you will not believe this."

Tatum's voice came over the phone, sounding shocked and scared.

"What, Tay? What is it?" I sat up, setting the empty taco wrappers on the coffee table.

"It's Sid! She was attacked! We're at the police station now."

Shock rushed through me.

"Holy fuck…attacked by who?" I asked, running a hand through my hair.

"The killer!" Tatum said quickly. "Said he called her , can you believe this shit?"

I shivered. He had called her before hand. My mind flew back to the phone call I had that afternoon, and immediately I was on my feet.

"Do they have any suspects?" I asked.

"Yeah." Tatum said in a low voice that made me suspect she wasn't supposed to be talking to me. "Billy."

My heart skipped a beat and I tensed.

Billy? Good 'ole Billy who we had all known since we were little. Who had stuck with Sidney for two years, even through her mom's murder.

But, I had to admit, I could see it. He could be a real prick sometimes. He was rude towards Randy, and bossy towards Stu, and could be very violent.

"God." I shook my hand, running my free hand through my hair. "God, I'm coming up there. She needs people right now, more than anything else."

As I said this I was already heading towards the stairs so I could change out of my pajamas.

"_No_!" Tatum said quickly. "I'm not even supposed to be telling you this."

"Tatum, fuck! You don't just tell someone this and expect them to stay put." I stopped at the foot of the stairs, bouncing from foot to foot anxiously.

"Well you have to Cat. I just…I had to tell someone. Sid would want you to know too. She's fine okay."

No…it wasn't okay, because how the hell could it be okay? My best friend had just been attacked, and barely a year after her mom's murder.

"Fine, okay. Just call me when you get home, okay. Sid's staying with you tonight, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, okay Cat. We'll call. Bye." Tatum was hurrying to get of the phone now, and I barely had time to say farewell before she hung up.

And I stood there for a minute or so, at the foot of the stairs with the phone in my hand.

It wasn't until this moment that I really let myself contemplate whether or not the phone call from that afternoon was a threat or not. I mean, I really let myself consider it.

But why would anyone want to kill _me_?

Then again, who would would want to kill Sid?

I sighed, hovering there at the goot of the stairs, looking up them, considering changing anyway and going up to the police station.

Then again, that would only get Tatum in trouble, and besides that, I probably wouldn't even be able to get in.

Reluctantly I turned back into the living room, sitting back on the couch and trying to focus on the movie.

* * *

It was the part where Nancy was down in the boiler room of her school, being stalked by Freddy.

I sat back, picking up my Dr. Pepper and taking a long drink of it as I watched the movie, trying to focus on it instead of the fact that my best friend had just been attacked by a brutal killer, and that her boyfriend, another of my friends, was being held under the suspicion of being that brutal killer.

A snap from outside the patio door made me jump, and immediately I was on my feet, moving through the living room to stand by the door.

We had a big house, purchased back when my mom and dad were still together, when my dad had wanted a big family. But the house was nothing compared to the backyard which was huge and heavily wooded, because our back yard opened right up into a forest. We had a large patio, where my dad used to grill and where my mom used to throw her parties, but I could barely see a few inches out, due to the sheer darkness.

I knew, chances were, it was just an animal. We got a lot of animals here, mostly racoons and squirrels, and the racoons would wander around our house a lot.

I reached over and flipped the lights on, watching as bright yellow light bathed the patio.

I saw nothing, and with a sigh I closed the blinds, making sure the doors were locked before heading back to the couch.

I had only just sat down, when I heard what sounded like a large crash.

I was on my feet again in an instant, my eyes flying to the patio door.

The sound had definitely come from outside, but not on the patio. It had sounded like it had come from outside the kitchen.

I took a deep breath, before creeping through the living room, through the dining room, and into the kitchen.

It was empty, but above the sink, I saw the little kitchen window was open, and immediately I rushed over to it, shutting it quickly and locking it. I peered through it for a moment, before pulling the little curtains shut.

I didn't know what the crash was, and I certainly wasn't about to go outside to find out.

I walked hurriedly out of the kitchen, heading down the hallway to the front door.

I made sure that was locked too.

I felt unease in the pit of my stomach, and suddenly I was very uncomfortable being there alone.

Slowly, I walked back to the couch, sitting back down, hoping that my movie would help to comfort me.

And it did for a while. I had pretty well forgotten what was going on at the moment in favor of watching the movie.

* * *

It was at the part where Nancy's boyfriend was dragged down into his bed when the phone rang again, making me jump slightly.

I looked at it, annoyed, before picking it up.

"Hello?" I snapped, scowling as I put the movie on mute.

"Cat?" The voice over the phone asked pleasantly.

"Yeah?" I leaned back into the couch, watching what was happening on the screen. I had seen this movie so many times that I knew what they were saying.

"What's your favorite scary movie?"

This time the question came out in a rougher voice, and I recognized it from earlier that day.

I froze, hand clenching around the phone and my heart beating wildly in my chest.

"Who is this?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yeah." I snapped. "Actually, I would."

The voice laughed suddenly, making me jump slightly, and I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Look," I said finally. "I've got to go."

And then I slammed the phone down on the charger and sat there, breathing heavily.

I was angry and scared and getting more paranoid with each passing second.

There was another snapping sound from outside, and suddenly I was up, heart thudding, and I was moving towards towards the stairs.

A moment before I started my ascent I thought better of it, and I turned back around. It wasn't a good idea, to go up there. That's what idiots did in horror movies, and they never lived to see the end credits.

And so I began to pace, trying to figure out what to do, because I couldn't for the life of me think anything through clearly.

What the hell was I supposed to?

The phone rang again, making me yelp, and then I sat down on the bottom step, trying to control my breathing that had nearly escalated out of control. I sat there, listening to the phone ring, biting the inside of my cheek until it bled.

The answering machine beeped, and I looked up as that voice filled the house.

"_Pick up the fucking phone, Catherine."_

"Fuck you!" I yelled, closing my eyes, literally shaking with anger.

"_Catherine, if you don't pick up the phone, I'm coming in and you don't want that._"

I was up in an instant, burning with rage, and rushing to pick up the phone.

"Are you fucking happy now?" I snapped, holding it to my ear.

"Very," the voice was back to the silky sweetness it had had before. "Now, I'll ask you again…what's your favorite scary movie?"

I did a complete rotation, looking around the room with my heart thudding in my chest.

'If you don't pick up the phone, I'm coming in…' that's what the voice said. Now, it was my job to determine if they were bluffing when they said that. Because if they weren't then I was dealing with the real killer, and Billy was innocent.

"If I don't tell you are you going to come in here and kill me?" I asked, steadying my breathing, and trying my best to think rationally.

I had to stall whoever it was, keep them talking.

With steady steps I walked over to the all the windows looking into the living room and shut the blinds.

"No…" the voice said carefully. "That's what the game is for."

I padded quietly into the hallway, opening the hall closet quietly.

On the ground inside were my muddy old running shoes. Silently I thanked my mom for making me keep them here.

"What game is that?" I asked as I pulled the shoes on, lacing them up hurriedly.

"If you answer the question right, you live, but if you get it wrong you die."

"Is this the same game you played with Casey and Steve?" I asked, standing up, and walking as quietly as I could to the coat rack beside the front door where my hoodie was hung. My keys were in the pocket. If I could get those and then get to the garage, I might not have a problem. I was sure this guy wasn't in the house, otherwise, our alarm would go off, and our garage was controlled by a remote that only my mom and I had the key to.

I reached into the pocket and took out the keys, holding them carefully so that they wouldn't make any noise.

"Yeah, and they lost. Do you wanna try your hand at the game. Or I could just kill you now."

"No," I said, moving quietly into the kitchen so I could grab a knife. Just in case. "Let's give this game a shot."

"Alright…movie trivia, just for you Cat. What did they use for pigs blood in _Carrie_?"

"Uh…corn syrup." I said as I walked as quickly as I could to the garage door.

"Good. What did they use for blood in _Psycho_?"

"Chocolate syrup." I answered, stopping at the door with my hand rested on the door knob. It door squeaked very loudly when it was open, and if I wanted to get out undetected then I'd have to wait until he was thoroughly distracted.

"Very good...where am I?"

I froze, taken by surprise by this sudden, abrupt question.

"W-what?"

"Where am I?" he repeated, amusement in his voice.

He was making me squirm now and he knew it.

I took a deep breath and then carefully said, "Outside."

"Am I?"

The sound of shattering glass from the living room made me flinch, and I threw open the garage door before racing to my jeep, onto the driver's side. I could hear our alarm going off.

I glanced up at the door in time to see the killer standing there, in what could only have been a Halloween costume.

He was in a long, black robe, with a white ghost mask. In his hand was a knife.

My breath caught in my throat, and I looked back down at the keys in my hand, fumbling to unlock the door.

_Shit!_

And then, yes! Amazingly I managed to just as he started for me. I slid inside, slamming the door shut and locking it just as he reached me.

I had to stop myself from sticking my tongue out to taunt him. Instead I hurriedly pressed the button to open the garage before putting my keys in the ignition, praying the engine wouldn't stall like they did in old horror movies.

With a dull roar, the jeep started, and I smiled widely, before looking out the window, only to see that he was gone.

I took a deep breath before backing out quickly, not bothering to call the police in my haste.

I backed to the end of the driveway, breathing heavily, all adrenaline gone as my I scanned the place, looking for him.

With a loud crash, my window was broken, and I screamed as he put his arm through the window, lashing at me with his knife.

He only managed to cut my arm before I peeled out, breathing heavily as I sped towards the only place I could think of going.

If I hadn't been terrified…if I had been thinking clearly I might have thought to go to the police station or the hospital, but as it was, I wasn't thinking clearly.

* * *

I pulled into the video store five minutes later, rushing inside sobbing, ignoring the strange looks people gave me.

Randy looked up with a start, eyes widening when he saw me there, crying with my arm bloodied.

He rushed over immdeiately, taking me by the shoulders and giving me the once over, before obviously deciding that I was okay for now and pulling me into a hug.

I was in hysterics, and yet no tears fell. I was scared….terrified out of my mind, but I still refused to let myself cry.

"Cat…what the fuck happened?"

I let out a shuddering breath, resting my head on his shoulder.

"God, Randy." I clenched my eyes shut, shaking terribly and trying to calm down. "He attacked me. He fucking attacked me."

"What?" He put his hand on my chin, making me look up at him. "Who did?"

"The killer. The same one who killed Casey and Steve."

Because we had so many serial killers running around Woodsboro. God, being terrified really didn't do much for my thinking capacity.

"He…attacked Sid, and then came to my house to attack me too."

Randy looked at me, emotions clouding his blue eyes, and then he enveloped me in his warm arms, not seeming to care that I was getting blood on his uniform.

People were openly gawking, and over my head Randy looked at his manager, eyes pleading.

"Take her to the police station." He said, before adding quickly, "Take care of her."

Randy guided me gently outside, by the elbow, pulling me to my jeep and holding his hand out expectantly.

"Keys."

I pulled them out of the pocket of my shorts, and put them in his hand, not really paying attention, my mind still trying to wrap itself around what had just happened.

He opened the door for me, and I got in, still in a daze, and put the seat belt on.

Randy closed the door before hurrying across to his side. He slid in as well and started the engine, pulling out and heading across town, towards the police station.

He was quiet, until we drew nearer. Finally he sighed and shook his head.

"Are you okay, Cat?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"Hmm? My arm hurts, and I guess I'm still kind of shaken up, but I'm fine otherwise, I think."

He glanced at me unsurely, before reaching over to put a hand on my knee.

"You'll stay at my house tonight." He said, and I nodded quickly. That wouldn't be a problem. His parents loved me, and my mom would be too drunk to care.

And besides that, not a force on Earth could have gotten back in my house alone at the moment.

After that we remained silent, because we were both obviously thinking about what had happened.

I had never been so terrified in my life. When Tatum had first told me that they had Billy in custody, I'll admit, secretly I had hoped that Billy was the killer, because then that meant that nobody else would get hurt. I hated to think of anybody else dying after Steve and Casey.

Ever since my Uncle had died when I was twelve, I had had problems with death.

It wasn't that I couldn't let go, because I could. I was old enough at the time to understand exactly what death entailed. He was gone, and he wouldn't be coming back. And that was it.

I had been very close to my Uncle Henry, my mother's brother, since I was a little girl. Probably because he wasn't like my mom. He was friendly and funny and everybody liked Uncle Henry.

Except my mom. They had never got along, and she didn't like that I was so close to him.

So, when he had gotten put into the hospital due to a heart attack she was reluctant to take me up there.

But finally I convinced her and we drove to the hospital he was in, and when we got there, everybody was crying, especially my Aunt Rita and Grandma Beth.

And I cried too, because there my uncle was, one of my favorite people in the world, looking sick and pale and weak. He wa hook to a heart moniter, and had needles in his arms, and for I moment I was convinced that this could not be my Uncle Henry, because Uncle Henry would be smiling and laughing at everyone and telling them not to worry.

This weak person was not my Uncle. And yet it was.

My mom had pulled Aunt Rita to the side and was talking to her in hushed whispers, sending sharp looks over to her brother and then her mother and then looking back at her sister-in-law.

Finally, Aunt Rita looked back at Uncle Henry, before leaning forward and taking Grandma Beth by the arm. I wasn't paying much attention, but I saw them walk out of the room out of the corner of my eye, and the other's followed slowly.

Aunt Rita paused in the doorway, looking back at me, just standing there looking at Uncle Henry and crying silently.

"Cat?" She said, her voice cracking when she spoke.

I turned to look at her and she tried to give me a smile.

"Watch him. We'll be right back."

And then she was gone and I was left alone.

If Uncle Henry was awake he would laugh off his wife's worry. He would try to engage me in some sort of game which he would let me win. And he would laugh and joke around with me, and assure us that our trip to Los Angeles the month after would go as planned.

Only he wasn't awake.

"U-uncle Henry?" My voice cracked, and I moved foreward, resting my hand on his. His skin was cold.

"Uncle Henry, this is Kitten." I said carefully.

He was the only one who ever called me that, and despite my tears, I smiled.

"This is Kitten," I repeated. "And you need to stop being lazy and wake up. What would Grandpa Roger think if he saw you like this?"

My Grandpa Roger, Uncle Henry and my mom's father, had been put into a nursing home a year prior.

"So," I went on. "Wake up, and we'll watch tv or something. I'll even let you pick the channel."

I had opened my mouth to say more, but suddenly I was interrupted by a low, droning _beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep_.

Terror gripped my heart and I turned to look at the heart moniter which had flat lined before looking back at Uncle Henry.

"UNCLE HENRY!"

His name tore out of my throat, and then I let out a low, keening scream.

Hospital staff were in the room within seconds, but no one even bothered trying to push me out, and I stood there, watching as they tried to bring back my uncle. Watching as any last remaining dregs of life drained out of him.

It was an extraordinary thing, death. One moment your alive, and the next your not. And I had witnessed that first hand. It scared me. It intrigued me, and yet I wanted nothing to do with it myself.

It left a chill in me, watching my uncle die, and being powerless to do anything about it.

That was enough for me. I wanted nothing more to do with death. And so, imagining someone else, purposely ending someone's life…that was confusing.

There must have been something…something so immaculate in a person's reasoning to do it, that no slightest qualm of concience could deter them. Because otherwise they would be haunted for ever by the vision of life draining out of their victim, and that was enough to scar somebody forever. I remember for months after Uncle Henry's death, I had nightmares about it. It was so bad that my father breifly considered finding a pshychiatrist for me, but my mother was adamant…no daughter of hers was going to the crazy doctor.

I hadn't though of my Uncle's death in years, because the though of watching him die struck a cord deep within me. But suddenly, his death was being compared to these murders. It was different, obviously. My Uncle Henry hadn't been murdered, but the basic concept was the same.

I might have to see other people die, and that was too much for me.

It was one thing to see it in movies, because there was no way they could accurately recreate the life leaving someone. That was different. This was real.

I leaned back in my seat, and tilted my head back, looking up at the roof of my jeep while drumming my fingers against my leg.

"I…have no idea what to say right now." Randy said finally, looking at me.

I turned my head to look at him, and shrugged.

"I don't know either." I replied truthfully. "I just…I can't help but wonder…why me…"

Randy sighed, shaking his head slightly as we pulled into the police station.

"Christ…" I stared out my window in wonder. How had all the reporters caught wind of what had happened to Sidney so quickly. They really were like pirahna.

I really wasn't looking forward to this, and I wished that we could forego this completely, but I knew they had to know that Billy wasn't the killer.

Randy parked my jeep, and we climbed out of my jeep. I clutched my injured arm to my chest. The front of my shirt was covered in blood that would no doubt stain, but otherwise the bleeding had stopped. The cut wasn't too deep.

I took a deep breath as I looked up at the station.

I was not looking forward to this…

* * *

**Author's Note: Hmm…I'm not going to lie. I'm proud of this story. I hope saying that doesn't make me seem too egotistical, but I think it's a nice change from the original. If anyone would like to read it and compare, I'd be happy to direct you to my page on Quizilla, however I'm only willing to do it for people who won't come back to say things along the lines of, "Oh my freaking God, this version sucks." After all, that version is my baby, and nobody wants to hear that their baby is ugly…even though it kind of is. **

**MusicalPushover: Thank you for the first comment on this story. I had a huge smile when I read it. I'm glad you liked the Cat/Stu back story. In the original, when cat was Alex, Alex had a relationship with him as well, but it was never a big deal. But for this version I though, 'Hey, here's a brilliant way to bring Cat to the spotlight along with Sid'. Because I didn't like the idea of Cat being involved only because she was Sidney's friend, because we saw what happened to Sid's friends throughout the series. Besides that, Stu was crazy. He proved that in the climax of the first movie. I can easily see him going after Cat out j that's what he did ith Casey isn't it? At any rate, I hope you enjoyed this second chapter.**

**Samtastic: Thank you for your kind review! I don't currently have a beta reader for this story, since I'm still trying to get used to the beta reader for my other story. I am glad that you pointed out Cat's relationship with her mother. This relationship will be very important in one of the sequels, so please keep that in mind. I've noticed, throughout the Scream movies, character's relationship with their mothers have kind of defined the movies. Because Sidney's mother was Maureen Prescott, Billy tried to kill her. Because Sidney had killed Billy, Billy's mother tried to kill Sidney. Because Maureen refused to acknowledge Roman, her convinced Billy to go through with everything. And he hated Sidney because she was the only one their mother ever claimed. Really, as it stands, it all points back to Maureen, and the character's relationships with their mothers. And I wanted the same to be true for Cat. Sidney was saddened by the death of her beloved mother. Billy was angry about his abandonment. These were two things that became very important in the Scream franchise, because it never would have happened without these things. And I decided there would need to be a different relationship between Cat and her mother. And my plan began to for for my Scream 3 fanfiction, because there were so many distinctive diffeences between that one and the others. And I had to do something. But…well you'll just have to wait and see.**

**And to my anonymous reveiwer, I'd like to thank you as well. I'm a big fan of OC fics when they are done correctly, however so many are not. I love Cat as a charcter, and I try to make her as realistic as possible. She is one of those characters that is she were in a horror movie, I could see her surviving until the end credits. Besides that, she's different from most Ocs you see, I think. I like her personality, and the plans I've got for her future I love…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Scream.**

* * *

"_I've seen enough horror movies to know that any weirdo wearing a mask is never friendly."__  
- Elizabeth; Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) _

* * *

How do you describe to someone the experience of almost being killed?

How do you describe, in words, the terror of having someone want to end your life. How do you tell someone how horrible it is to think that your life is about to end. How can you explain the frustration is trying to think clearly, trying to figure out how to save your own life, when you've got a bloodthirsty killer trying to end you.

Even worse, how can you focus clearly on what exactly is happening when you're more focused on keeping yourself alive.

I couldn't remember…I was too busy trying to block everything out.

I had almost died, and I was still trying to swallow my fear. I was trying to forget. And yet, they were trying to make me remember. They were pressuring me to. They wanted me to tell them how I had run for my life.

And I couldn't.

They were pressing me to tell them. Reprimanding me whenever I trailed off. I couldn't even get beyond telling them about the first few sounds I had heard.

And there were getting annoyed at me! They wanted this to be easy? How could it be?

And they kept on, until finally I just broke.

I'll explain this now…I hate crying. It makes me feel weak and fragile, and that is something I am not. Its even worse for me to cry in front of people.

I can count, on one hand, the amount of times I have cried in front of another person that I remember.

When Uncle Henry died in the hospital.

At Uncle Henry's funeral.

When my dad left my mom, and I had begged him to stay for me.

At Sidney's mom's funeral, when Tatum and I sat at the front with Sid.

I wasn't like my mom, who started crying at the drop of a hat. She cried everytime she didn't get her way, and that was the time that she was at her ugliest. She cried huge, fat tears that fell in a constant torrent, and her nose ran, and she sobbed something horrible.

I wasn't like that.

When I cried I tried to hold it in. I tried to keep the tears from falling. And when they did, I let out small gasping breaths, and my body would shake. I liked to think that I was a graceful crier. I didn't look like my mom when she cried. The tears didn't fall in a constant stream, and the nose running was kept to a reasonable minimum.

But I still hated crying in front of others because it opened the door for sympathy, which was an even worse feeling that being weak.

I could remember when my dad left, having to go to school the follwing Monday. It had been during my Sophmore year, and I had went to school, trying to look as decent as possible despite the fact that I hadn't eaten since he had left and I'd barely slept. I looked a mess, and I'd wanted to stay home, but my mom had pulled a bitch move and wouldn't let me. So I'd pulled on the outfit that looked the best on me, hoping it would distract people from the bags under my eyes and how pale I was and the distinctive, 'I hate everything right now,' aura that I gave off.

This is after Stu and I had broken up, and he was trying to win me over again, so he was being unusually friendly. Right away, her had known something was up, and had rushed over.

"Cat, you okay?" He'd asked, smiling his usually goofy grin.

"No," I had answered simply, and I had kept walking past him, not bothering to stop and talk. But Stu's persistant ass had kept right on. He fell into step beside me, looking at me closely.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

I walked faster, but he quickened his pace to match mine.

"My dad left," I answered finally, my tone a low snarl.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see surprise flit across Stu's face.

"Whoa? What?"

I turned to glare at him, my eyes narrowed and fierce and a scowl on my face.

"Oh…I'm sorry." He had said, but I shook my head.

"Don't be. It's not your fault." I'd snapped, stopping and turning to face him. "It's not my fucking fault either! Just leave me alone! I don't feel like fucking dealing with you right now!"

Stu had left after that, knowing that I was a force to be reckoned with when I was angry.

I couldn't help the way I reacted to sympathy. I guess I was just to proud to accept it.

And tears led to sympathy and I just couldn't handle that.

So I finally withdrew into myself, not answering any of the questions they asked me.

Finally I think they gave up, because they stood and walked away, leaving me there alone.

Randy approached me a few moments after they had gone, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I was still drifted off into the place inside me where nothing bad could happen, so when he touched me I jumped, turning to look at him with wide eyes, my heart beat escalating.

He looked down at me, obviously surprised by my reaction.

"Cat…"

I shook my head quickly, clenching my eyes shut.

"I wanna leave," I told him finally. "I just want to leave."

And then I stood, still not looking at him, ashamed that someone couldn't even touch me now without me almost having a fucking heart attack.

I ended up over by Sidney, who looked up at me with those haunted brown eyes of her, and I looked back at her.

She was scared too, that much I could tell.

She was just as scared and desperate for answers as I was. And maybe we would help each other to get through this. After all, we had both survived the attacks on us.

I was still alive. I wouldn't be taken down easily. I couldn't allow myself to be.

"We can go, Cat. They said we could go." I turned to see Randy approaching me again, this time keeping his distance.

I wanted to touch him. I wanted to kiss and hug him and apologize for the way I was acting and assure him that everything was going to be okay.

But I knew I wouldn't. I knew I wouldn't be able to bring myself to do it.

The least I could do though was allow him to guide me out of the station by my elbow. I owed him that.

* * *

When we finally broke away from reporters we got into my jeep and he pulled away from the station, not saying anything to me.

We were in a precarious position, he and I.

We both knew how these things turned out. In the movies, it was always the girl's boyfriend who was killed. It was common among the horror genre.

If I were him, I would be turning and running.

It wasn't over. That's what I felt in my gut.

There was still more to come, and I was still meant to be part of it. I had no doubt in my mind that if the killer had caught me tonight he would have killed me. This was not a scare tactic. He had intended to kill me.

Only he hadn't. I had gotten away. That was a problem. He would be angy.

No…he would be beyond angry. He would make sure that I died next time. So the only plausible form of defense for me would be to kill him.

That thought terrified me.

I knew it was wrong. It wouldn't weigh on my conscience forever.

I wasn't afraid that God would punish me or anything because I just didn't believe in God.

I didn't want somebody else's blood on my hands though. I was human after all. I wasn't a killer.

But could I be? Could I end somebody else's life if it meant I would live? Could I do it if it meant Randy would live? Or Sidney? Or Tatum?

I knew deep down the answer was yes. It had to be yes. I couldn't let them die.

I looked over at Randy who was watching the road, eyes trained ahead.

This was the person who had helped me with so many things. He had made me realize how badly I wanted to make a comic series of my own and how much I loved art and music, and how I was just as big of a movie buff as he was. And I knew after this whole ordeal was over, if we both lived, he would help me mend the broken pieces of myself.

Because their was no way I would make it away from this as the same Cat I was before. I wouldn't walk away unscathed. I didn't even know if I would walk away from it at all.

Surely the fact that he was still here, taking care of me, was proof of his devotion.

In that moment I swore to myself that whatever happened to me, he would walk away. Randy would not die. I wouldn't allow it.

He glanced over at me and saw that I was looking at him.

"What's up?" He asked.

I shook my head in response. What was I supposed to say?

The silence was thick and heavy, and it suffocated me.

I reached forward, pushing my Alanis Morisette tape in and turning on the music player.

Loud music filled the car a moment later.

The best word to describe the music was comforting. It was familiar.

I knew the words to every song, but I couldn't bring myself to sing along. I loved this music, but it didn't get rid of the dark cloud that now hung over me.

His house was across town from the Police station, and it was a ten minutes drive. When we finally pulled into the driveway I just sat there, still listening to the music.

I knew Randy was watching me, waiting for me to make some move to get out.

Only I didn't.

With a sigh he unbuckled his seat belt and pushed the driver's door open, getting out.

He was at my side of the car in an instant, opening up the door and looking down at me with worried blue eyes.

"Look, Cat, it'll be alright. You'll make it through this. I know you will."

And then he took my hand in his and pulled me out, and I let him.

I let him envelop me in his arms and nuzzle my neck.

Yet, I doubted his words.

The doubt slid down my spine like some cold, icy thing.

Didn't the boyfriends in horror movies usually say something along those lines.

And on top of that he was the funny guy.

In short, Randy was screwed.

Or, at least he would be if he didn't have me. But he did have me, and I refused to let that happen. I refused to just lay back and let him die. He would not die. Not while I was still living and breathing.

And if I was going to die then I would be damn sure to take the killer with me.

I didn't tell Randy any of this though.

Instead I just tilted my head to the side, looking up at him, and smiled sweetly.

"I know," I said.

I only hoped he couldn't tell that I was lying.

I had been to Randy's house more times than I could count, but it never ceased to amaze me how busy everything was inside.

His little sister, Martha was usually working on some new project she started that she would never finish. Her room was always a mess with the new hobbies she would take up and then abandon. But she was always smiling and giggling. Really she was a sweet girl.

His parents had the same sort of energy and passion that there son had towards horror movies, only they directed theirs to their careers.

Johnathan Meeks, Randy's father, was travel agent, which meant he knew all about far off living room was practically dedicated to memorabilia he had collected from when he used to travel.

His mother, Helen Meeks, was a wedding planner. She loved the job too, because she genuinely believed that weddings were supposed to be a symbol of a couple's love and devotion to one another.

His parents were very interesting people who, as they constantly said, were very fond of me.

They were proud of their son too, despite teasing him all the time,

They were more than happy to let me stay at there house, which I was thankful for. After all, it was one less thing I had to worry about.

Now, I only had to worry about my mother.

I called around to the Local bars until finally I got Ed Davies at his bar 'Eddie's'.

Apparently my mother was attempting to do a rendition of Gloria Gaynor's _"I will Survive"_.

Which confirmed my suspicion that she was drunk.

"Can you drive her up to the police station and see if they'll keep her there until this whole thing blows over?"

I asked, before realizing that he wouldn't know what 'this whole thing' was.

Thankfully he didn't press the matter, and only said, "Sure thing Catty," into the phone before hanging up.

Randy was watching me from the couch as I set the phone back down on the receiver and turned to him.

"Tired?" He asked.

"Very."

He smiled slightly and stood, offering his hand out to me which I gladly took.

I allowed him to lead me up the stairs to his bedroom where he offered me a shirt of his to sleep in.

I had stayed the night here so many times that it wasn't a big deal to his parents whether I slept in his room or not.

In fact I was over here so often that I had a toothbrush and toiletries in the bathroom.

Not that anyone really minded.

I changed quickly, before sitting on the bed.

It was a messy room, but that was to be expected. The walls were decorated with movie posters, and one wall had a shelf full of movies.

He had a television across from his bed with a VCR.

He would probably put a movie on for use to fall asleep to.

He looked at me to see that I was watching him, and he grinned, walking over to his movie shelf and pulling off one.

"You up for dinosaurs?" He asked, turning to me and holding up _'Jurassic Park'_. I smiled.

It was my favorite movie besides _'A Nightmare on Elm Street'_, and would be oddly comforting to watch.

"Yeah…you know I'm always in the mood for a Jeff Goldblum movie."

"If you aren't asleep by the time this goes off we'll put on _'Independence Day'_, okay?"

I smiled up at him and nodded. He knew me so well.

We layed there in his bed, him absently playing with my hair as I watched to dinosaurs, eyes round.

By the time it was over, Randy was asleep, but I was still wide awake.

I looked at him with a sigh.

Somehow I doubted sleep would come.

* * *

I was woken the next morning by my phone ringing from the pocket of the shorts I had worn yesterday.

It was relatively loud, and I was worried it would wake Randy, but upon closer examination he was still passed out.

What I wouldn't give to be such a heavy sleeper.

I slipped out of bed and retrieved the phone staring at the caller i.d. again.

An Unknown Caller.

I should have been expecting this, I'm sure.

Suddenly my throat felt very dry and my heart was beating wildly in my chest.

What would the killer say? What would I say?

Would he threaten me again. Somehow I expected him to.

My breaths came out in bursts as I pressed my phone to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Catherine Rachel Grey, what the hell were you thinking?"

I let out a sigh as my mother's voice came through the phone, relaxing my tense muscles.

"Jesus mom. It's only you. Are you okay?"

"No! I'm not! I am in jail. Come get me out. Now."

"Mom," I said, trying to calm her down. "You'll be safe there. I'm not going to get you out. Not until this whole thing blows over."

"Cat…"

"Buy mom…" I closed my phone and sighed.

Everything was bad enough without my mom throwing a bitch fit.

I looked over at the bed to see that Randy was still asleep, his arm thrown over the pillow where I had laid minutes before.

I looked at the clock on my phone, before standing and padding over to the bed, placing a hand on his forehead.

"Hey, sleeping beauty. Get your ass out of bed."

His eyes fluttered open, and he looked up at me sleepily, a lazy grin on his face.

"Morning," he said with a yawn.

"Morning."

He frowned at me, reaching forward to ruffle my hair.

"Sleep at all last night?" He asked.

"A little. I'll nap in study hall…"

For a moment I felt like Nancy from _A Nightmare on Elm Street_, and that wasn't the most comforting thought.

'At least she lived at the end of the movie.'

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, here it is. Chapter three of the story. I had tried to get it out quicker, but I have other stories that I have obligations to. But it is out, and moving along brilliantly, if I may say. The thing I'm trying to do with this story is give the characters quirks, and a past. Something besides Sid's mom dying a year prior to the events in the story. Cat doesn't exactly have a horrible past. Yes, her father left her mother, and her Uncle Henry died but this seemed normal. I did however want to show the turmoil that Cat felt in response to the murders, because we don't really see that in the movie. We don't see the thought process going through the characters' heads, which is to be expected because it is a movie. In all honesty, I enjoy writing for Cat, and luckily for me, I get to write for her three more times after this story. The amazing reviews I get for this story truly spur me on to write more. Honestly. I feel that this story is the epitome of my writing, and I'm not going to lie, I am proud of it so far. ****  
**

****MusicalPushover: I like that I can show Cat's emotions. I like that I can write through her thought process. I felt that, for the sake of the story, Cat needed to have a severe reaction to what was going on around her. She's almost been killed. Her best friend has almost been killed. Her classmates being killed. I mean to say that everybody just seemed to kind of shrug it off in the movie like, "So what if there's a killer running around gutting people. Let's party." That didn't seem entirely plausible to me. So, I decided that Cat would act a bit differently.

Samtastic: Thanks for the review. And I'll definitely be sure to look at the story!

KaidaThorn: Your review was probably the most unexpected. I had saw, on your Profile when I was looking for Beat Readers that you like horror movies. On top of that there are several more interests that we shared, and ultimately that's what made me want you to Beta my other story. I didn't expect you to read this story however. And on top of that you leave a simply amazing review. In the Scream movies, Randy was my favorite character, and when I saw his death scene is Scream 2 I cried. And I decided that he deserved to have somebody...and that he didn't deserve to die...


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Scream'.**

* * *

"_They will say that I have shed innocent blood. What's blood for if not for shedding?"_

_Candyman; Candyman (1992)_

* * *

I was dreading school.

I was dreading walking through those halls with people staring at me, wide-eyed.

I had seen it all before, a year prior when Sid's mom was killed. I had witnessed it myself somewhat, the day before when people were staring at me in Chemistry.

Now, it was guaranteed to be worse. I could see it now…people whispering snide little comments in their friend's ear.

Because obviously, Sid and I must be fucking lying. Obviously nothing happened and we must be out for fucking attention.

Obviously Sid and I are the fucking killers.

Take note of the sarcasm.

It took a great deal of persuasion on Randy's part to convince me to go. I didn't have any clothes, so I had to borrow some of Martha's clothes, which would have been fine if we wore the same size.

The thing is, Martha has a bigger chest than me, and a bigger waist and she's already taller.

I went to school looking as awkward as I felt.

Randy promised he and I would go by my house immediately after, before he went to work, so I could get some clothes.

When we pulled up to school, I waited until Randy had come around and opened my door. Then I ducked my head and ran through the reporters.

I wouldn't have minded being interviewed if it had been anything but this. Anything but for almost being brutally murdered.

This wasn't okay. What they were doing…it was disgusting.

Randy had his arm around me protectively when we got into school, trying to persuade me to look up without even really looking up himself.

When finally I did, I wished I hadn't.

It was a joke, and maybe it would have even been amusing if it hadn't been directed at me and Sid- if it had nothing to do with the murderer who was targeting me and Sid.

It might have been funny if Casey and Steve weren't dead.

Several people were dressed up in the costumes the killer was wearing.

It nearly sent me into a fit of hysterics.

I could feel it, my throat closing up and my eyes beginning to water and my body trembling.

I breathed deeply, not wanting to cry. And then I broke away from Randy and stomped over to the nearest one.

"Cat!" Randy started after me, but my sights were set on the dick in the costume.

He seemed to look up, just as I drew nearer.

I know how I must have looked.

Scary. Terrifying.

At least to this guy I was.

With a low growl, I snatched the mask off his face before he could run, and I threw it to the side, glaring at him.

I recognized him, vaguely. He was in my English class. He sat three desks behind me. We had worked together on a group activity once. He was generally regarded as an idiot.

My hand was raised before I even realized what I was doing, and I brought it harshly across his face.

I slapped him hard enough to leave an intense red mark.

"Who the _fuck_ do you think you are?" My voice was venomous and cold. Dangerous.

The guy leaned away from me, absently bringing a hand up to cradle where I had slapped him.

"What gives you the fucking right to do this. Who are you? Who the fuck are you? Think you're somebody fucking special? So fucking special that the rules of common courtesy don't apply to you. Think you shouldn't care about somebody else's feelings? You think this is okay when two of your classmates were just killed and when two more were just attacked? You think it's fucking okay?" My voice had risen to a dangerously high octave, and everbody in the hallway had turned to stare.

"Cat…" Randy's hand brushed against my own, but I made no room to grab it.

I was too busy staring at the bastard in front of me. I was too busy staring at him and daring him to say something.

He opened his mouth to say something, before seeming to think better of it and closing it quickly.

Then finally he averted his eyes and said, "I'm sorry."

"No…you aren't. You're a dick. You're a real fucking dick and you have no regard for anybody else but yourself. And I hope it comes back to bite you in the ass."

And with that I turned and marched away.

Randy had to hurry to keep up.

I kept striding forward, heading in the general direction of my locker, even though my head was too filled with rage to really think straight.

Finally, Randy caught my shoulder, turning me to face him.

"Cat, calm down." He said evenly.

What else could he really say in this position. Don't be a bitch?

Because I felt like a bitch right then. I really did.

But damn it all, I was angry. I didn't know how to deal. Now I was lashing out, and that wasn't a good thing.

"I'm sorry." I said quietly, my voice nearly a whsiper.

Randy leaned forward, pulling me to him and wrapping his arms around me.

I needed this right now. I needed him. He seemed to understand that too, because he took my hand and led me along.

And I followed him blindly.

* * *

It wasn't until we had reached the others that I realized they were probably waiting for us. It was our daily routine. This was the best place, because my locker was two down from Tatum's.

They looked up as we approached, and almost immediately they stopped talking about whatever it is they were talking about, and Tatum 'shushed' Stu.

Sidney looked dazed and distracted, looking around.

"This is a mistake," She said absently. "I shouldn't be here."

"You and me both Sid." I said, going to my locker.

I didn't have my backpack, since it had been left at my house the night before. I'd have to borrow anything that I needed.

Not that I imagined I would do much in class.

I entered my combination several times, before deciding it was a lost cause. I let go of the lock with a huff, turning to Randy pleadingly.

He entered the combination without any trouble at all.

"I want you to meet me right here after class, okay?" Tatum said sternly to Sid, who could only nod.

"And you meet me here too." Randy added, pulling my ponytail lightly, like he usually did.

"Right…"

"I haven't seen Billy around," Sid said, looking at Stu. "Is he really pissed?"

"You branded him the Candyman. What do you think? Dude's broken." Stu said from his place, leaning between Tatum and Sidney.

"Hey Stu…" I said warningly, causing him to look at me. "Shut up."

"Ignore him." Tatum said to Sidney. "You had a good reason to think what you did. Besides, if I were accused of carving up two people, I'd take the opportunity to skip school."

"You're dismissing him as the killer already?"

We all turned to Randy, to see him looking surprised.

"It couldn't have been him. He was at the station when I was attacked." I pointed out.

How could it be Billy.

I didn't want to think it was possible for it to be any of my friends.

But then, I guess it would have to be somebody that I know. And somebody that knew Sid as well.

Somebody that would have a grudge against both of us.

"Cat…I thought you of all people would believe me…you've seen the movies. There's always a twist when it comes to the killer."

Well that was true of course, but the fact remained that this wasn't a movie.

Chances were this wasn't some dead, burned guy. Or a crossdresser with an identity crisis. Or a pissed off mom out for revenge for her dead son.

This was a person. This was a real person, and they had decided to start killing people.

The thought made me shudder.

With a sigh, I shook my head slightly and turned back to my locker and I opened it.

Immediately I let out a screech of terror and disgust.

Our of my locker fell a dead cat, stiff with glazed over yellow eyes.

"Oh…Oh my god."I clapped my hand over my mouth, fighting the urge to vomit.

The cat was looking up at me with its dead eyes, and I saw that something had slit its throat.

It had been a pretty cat, with long dark ginger fur almost the color of my hair, and it had a white underbelly and paws.

This was a definite threat.

It had to be.

What else could it be?

My stomach churned and I turned away, tucking my head into Randy's shoulder.

"Oh God…is that a dead cat?" Tatum asked.

"Cool." Stu said, and I could just imagine his wide grin.

"They did this." Sidney said, and then I felt her had on my shoulder, and Randy's arms were wrapped around me to keep me from looking, but that was okay because I didn't want to look.

Not now and not ever.

I could smell it now.

It was a wonder we couldn't smell it before, and I'm fighting the urge to run to the nearest toilet and puking up what little breakfast I had managed to get down that morning.

I had always loved animals, ever since I was little. And, call me biased, but I especially had a fondness for felines.

I had a kitten when I was younger, but my mother had gotten rid of it because she hated cats.

This was sick. This was wrong.

I don't know why it disgusted me more than the thought of Casey and Steve being dead, but it did.

There was something morally insesnitive about killing animals.

Although these people had already proven that they had no regard for any type of morals.

Suddenly I heard a willd scream from down the hallway and I looked up with a start to see that familiar costume running towards us, arms flailing wildly.

I tensed as it drew closer….and then ran right past.

"Why are they doing this?" Sidney asked, obviously as shaken up as me.

"Are you kidding. Look at this place. It's like Christmas."

I heard shuffling behind me and turned to see Sid moving away quickly.

Tatum was glaring angrily at Stu.

"Stupidity leak." She hissed, whacking him on the head with the sucker she had been eating.

"That was smooth Stu." I said, but then my eyes caught back on the dead cat and I had to hide my face in Randy's shoulder again.

"Come on. We'll go tell someone." He said soothingly, putting a hand on the small of my back and guiding me away.

* * *

Class was going about the same as it had the day prior.

Nobody was doing anything- the teachers weren't teaching, because they couldn't really get a reign on their classes.

Everybody was talking rapidly to each other.

And there I was, staring blankly at the chalkboard.

In a poor attempt to actually get some work out of us the teacher had written an assignment on the board.

Not that anybody was making any effort to complete it.

It took a good twenty minutes of staring at the board for me to realize I had already been through two class periods.

Two class periods and my mind was still revolving around that dead cat. That poor dead cat that had its throat slit and had then been shoved in my locker.

Just the thought of it made bile rise up in my throat.

It was a threat that made me feel all cold inside, even moreso than those phone calls. It was chilling to say the least, and it showed how absolutely merciless the killer actually was.

I was terrified. No…beyond terrified because this was even more personal than when he had attacked me before.

I mean…a dead cat…and my name just happens to be Cat.

The intercom buzzing slightly made me jump violently and look up at it, just as Principal Himbry began to speak.

"Your attention please. Due to the recent events that have occurred and until it comes to a resolve- effective immediately- all classes are suspended until further notice. The Woodsboro Police Department has issued a city wide curfew beginning at six o'clock P.M. I repeat-"

Already my classmates were cheering with joy, and with a sigh I stood, grabbing my bag an slinging it across my shoulder.

Of course they were happy. Why wouldn't they be? They got out of school. Whatever the reason they were happy.

I couldn't help but wonder though if any of them would care if I didn't come back…or if Sidney didn't…or Tatum or Billy or Stu or Randy.

But then I had to remind myself that no matter what, Randy was going to come back.

I walked out after my classmates who had all hurried to the door after the announcement.

I let out a yelp as somebody leaped from the side, grabbing my shoulders.

"Hey Cat."

I let out a sigh of releif as I looked up at Stu, who was looking down at me with his usual grin.

"What?" I asked, adjusting my bag on my shoulder, and avoiding his eyes.

I had been unable to look him in the eyes since we had broken up. I couldn't stand the hurt there, or the accusation. He still blamed me for it. He still hated that I had broken it off with him. On some level, I think he hated me for it.

"Thinking about having a party tonight. My place. You and Randy coming?"

I looked up at him in surprise, my eyes stopping at his nose but going no further up.

"Is having a party really the best idea? Besides, what about curfew?"

"Aww…come on Cat. You're not going soft on me are ya? Besides, you've never been a stickler for the rules."

I let out a sigh again.

"I'll talk to Randy about it." I said finally, before walking past them to go meet Randy outside his third period.

* * *

**Author's Note: It's so short…I hate that. But, I'm trying to draw everything out so that it'll actually last ten chapters. I'm going to say this now…I do not watch the movies to get the dialogue just right. I have the original 'Scream' screenplay, and the others I can find online. Those are what I am using. It's easier than sitting here on my lap top and letting the dvd go for a bit and then pressing pause real quick. Besides that, I don't feel as pressed to get every single word right when I use the screenplays. **

**Kaidathorn: **Randy is, by far, my favorite character from any movie I've ever seen, and so it means a great deal to me that I am able to write this story. Cat is a very closed off person…she's not like her mother who gets upset over every little thing. She doesn't want to be meek and I think that shows. However, there are times, especially in the past few chapters, where it shows that she's able to open up with Randy a little bit more. She genuinely loves him, and I think that shows are actual feelings behind their relationship…they do genuinely care for each other, which I think is a contrast to Stu and Tatum's 'relationship'. I think Randy would have helped Sidney more if she would have let him, but that could be because he liked her in the films. Randy strikes me as a person who would be very sweet to any girlfriend of his, and I think he fits Cat, because she isn't a particularly sweet person. I was particularly happy to use that quote at the beginning of the last chapter. I like being able to use my vast knowledge of movies in this story, especially my knowledge of horror movies. I like using the horror quotes at the beginning of every chapter, though I'm trying not to over do it with '_A Nightmare on Elm Street_' ones.

**MusicalPushover:** Thanks. I try to open the chapters with something that's better than…"And so this happened and…". To me it's starting the chapters that is the hardest. After that, everything flows much easier. If I'm not pleased with how I started the chapter, then pretty much everything I've written in the chapter gets scrapped, because to me it's that first impression that really hooks a reader in and I want to leave them curious and wanting to satisfy curiosity they have.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Scream'.**

* * *

"_That boy is about to seek revenge over the town that murdered him. He knows this, he says, because he himself is the heir apparent to that throne of terror so long held by the likes of Voorhees, Myers and Krueger. This man's name is Leslie Vernon."_

_- (Taylor Gentry) Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)_

* * *

There's a certain paranoia that comes with nearly being killed.

It leaves a person with a strange sense of detachment. Or, at least, it did me.

It left me wondering if people around me would ever know what it was like. It left me wondering if I _wanted_ them to know what it was like.

I was doing my best to act normal, but damn it all, I doubted that would happen. How could it happen. This wasn't normal.

I was being targeted for death. I could die, and I desperately didn't want to. It had never occurred to me, before this point, how much I so desperately wanted to live. More than I had ever wanted to before.

I don't know if it was because I was afraid of dying or what. Maybe that was at the core of my whole survival in this thing.

I didn't _want_ to know what came after. I just wanted to live.

Unfortunately, I didn't know if I would or not.

Maybe that terrified me more than anything this killer would do.

So, I was wandering on Main Street, doing a little stress releif like Tatum had suggested, but to be honest, I'm not much of a shopper.

I couldn't walk by the pet store for fear of thinking of that dead cat, and if I looked at clothes I started thinking things like, 'If the killer came after me would I be able to run effectively in this?'.

Ot kind of put a hindrance on my shopping.

In the end, I only bought a new outfit to wear that night, because I couldn't possibly work up the nerve to go back to my house. Not yet.

I was pleased with the combat boots I had gotten though, because at least they offered me some satisfaction in knowing they would do more damage if I kicked the killer in the face than sneakers would.

I worked my way back to the video store, slipping inside and nodding at the cashier, a young woman who we went to school with named Karen.

I assumed the manager was somewhere in the back room as per usual, though if he came out while I was here he usually didn't mind.

I'm quite sure he would have offered me a job if Randy didn't already work here.

"Hey babe."

Randy looked up as I approached him, grinning and giving me a swift kiss on the cheek.

"We'll be able to leave when I'm finished shelving movies." He told me, gesturing to the counter. "You can put your bags back there and keep me company if you want."

"You're setting it up so that I'll help you, Randy. I know you. But it's okay. I'll do it anyway."

And with that I turned and hurried back to the counter, grinning at Karen as best I could.

I had tried smiling at myself in the mirror earlier that morning, but when I did it looked more like a grimace. I'm pretty sure this one came out similarly as well.

"Hey. Would you set my stuff back there?" I asked, holding my bags out.

She gave me a faint nod and took it, setting it back behind her the counter.

She didn't talk to me much, and I got the faint impression that she didn't like me. Not that it mattered.

A faint sort of yell from behind made me whip around in time to see Randy drop some of the movies he had been shelving.

Stu was standing there snickering as Randy glared at him before stooping to pick up the fallen movies.

With a low groan, I placed a hand over my chest.

Even something like that was enough to send my heart racing.

I walked towards them hurriedly.

The two had clashed, ever since I'd started going out with Randy, and unless I was there to referee it, it could get pretty bad.

"Jesus, this place is packed." Stu commented, looking around.

"We had a run in the mass murder section." Randy said, returning to shelving the videos.

"There's a shocker." I commented dryly. "If this keeps happening, Woodsboro will become one of those places like Springwood and Haddonfield and Camp Crystal Lake. Hey Stu."

He nodded at me with a slight grin. "Hey Cat. You two coming tonight?"

"Yeah. I'm off early- curfew, you know." Randy said, glancing around the store. "Now that's poor taste."

I followed his gaze and saw Billy, standing in the horror section, chatting with a girl who stood next to him, her gaze scanning over the videos.

"What?" Stu asked, obviously clueless.

"If you were the only suspect in a senseless bloodbath, would you be standing in the horror section?" Randy asked, gesturing at Billy.

I sighed and shook my head. "Are you still on that, Randy? It can't be him. He was at the station when I was attacked."

"Yeah…it was a misunderstanding. He didn't do anything." Stu said loyally.

I sighed. I hated it when we agreed, because he always ended up letting it go to his head, because I rarely ever agreed with anyone.

"You're such a little lapdog." Randy said before turning to me. "Cat, look at him. He's got killer printed all over his forehead. You of all people should be able to look at him and see that."

"Randy, he can't be in two places at once." I pointed out, taking the stack of movies from his hands and turning to the shelf.

If he kept on with this he would never get any work done.

"Why should we automatically dismiss the possiblity of a partner killer?" Randy asked.

"Well then, if he is so obviously a killer, then why'd the cops let him go?" Stu asked.

I hated ganging up with him against Randy, really I did. But Billy was our friend and Sid's boyfriend and it just didn't seem right to accuse someone who we hung out with on a daily basis of being a psychotic killer.

"Because, obviously they don't watch enough movies. This is standard horror movie stuff. _'Prom Night'_ revisted."

I rolled my eyes with a sigh.

"Why would he kill his own girlfriend?" Stu asked.

"There's always some stupid bullshit reason to kill your girlfriend. That's the beauty of it all. Simplicity. Besides, if it gets too complicated you lose your target audience." Randy said matter-of-factly.

"Dude, your girlfriend got attacked too. If that's how it works, than who's to say you're not the killer?"

I looked up with a start at this my eyes narrowing.

How dare he…how dare he say something like that to Randy. When I was in the room none the less.

"Stu." I said, my voice a dangerously low octave. "That is not funny."

He looked startled by my tone of voice, and when I narrowed my eyes, he took a slight step back.

"What's uh…what's his reason then." He looked away from me, looking straight at Randy who was slightly amused at Stu's reaction.

"I dunno," Randy said with a shrug. "Maybe Sidney wouldn't have sex with him."

"Way to make him sound like a horny bastard, Randy." I said dryly.

"You know, I think it's her father. Why can't they find his ass man?" Stu asked, his eyes wild.

He looked like he was really getting into this conversation.

"Because he's probably dead. His body will come popping up in the last reel somewhere…eyes gauged. See the police are always off track with this shit. If they watched _'Prom Night'_ they'd save time. There's a formula to it. A simple one. Everyone's always a suspect- the father, the principal, the town derelict…"

"Which is you…"

I gave Stu a sharp slap to the arm when he said this. He was starting to get on my last nerve.

"So while they're of investigating a dead-end, Billy, who's been written off as a suspect, is busy planning his next hunting expedition." Randy continued, not seeming to notice the exchange between Stu and I.

"How do we know you're not the killer?"

A voice from behind us made me yelp and spin around, only to see Billy standing behind Randy, eyes narrowed.

His voice was deadly serious, and suddenly I almost believed Randy. The look in this boy's eyes…the tone of his voice…it was almost easy to believe that he could be a killer, and that scared me.

"Uh…hi, Billy."

I moved closer to Randy as he spoke, not taking my eyes off of Billy.

He scared me in that moment. He scared me in the way that he was looking at Randy.

"Maybe your movie-freaked mind lost its reality button. You ever think of that."

Randy shrugged slightly. "You're absolutely right." He admitted. "If this were a scary movie I'd be the prime suspect."

"But the fact remains that this is not a scary movie." I interjected, looking between them. "I'm really not comfortable with this conversation guys. Let's just drop it. _Now._"

* * *

An hour and thirty-five minutes. That's how long until we were meant to leave for Stu's party.

I was not looking forward to it to say the least.

I wanted nothing more to do with it. This could be the end of everything, or it could be where the real beginning truly started.

I paced the length of Randy's room, looking at the clock every few minutes.

I didn't know why Randy wanted to go, but it was like he was determined. He wanted me to go and act normal…he thought that maybe something like that would break me out of the funk I was in. If that's what you would call it.

He was sitting on his bed, watching me with an expression that was half amusement and half worry.

What if something happened tonight? What if we were attacked?

Suddenly I found myself wishing for a weapon…something big.

Something good.

But then, another part of me wished that Randy and I could just go…drive away until this whole thing blew over.

But I would never let myself do that.

I was no coward, and I wouldn't let myself be one now.

I just…needed a distraction. Something to make me not think about it.

As I thought this my eyes fell onto Randy, and he was met my gaze with his own, and I thought maybe I had an idea here.

So I sat beside him, putting my hand on his knee and smiling slightly.

Even though I was bounving my leg rapidly and the inside of my cheek was bleeding slightly from where I had constantly been biting it, I tried to appear calm.

"Hey Randy…"

"Hmm?"

He turned his head to me and I kissed him, and he kissed me back, because what else could he do?

"Is now the best time?" He asked suddenly, pulling away.

"Make me forget." I said, before kissing him again.

* * *

I was tense, as I sat in the car, waiting for Randy to come outside.

We had to leave.

No. More precisely, he wanted to leave for the party. I would have stayed at his house if I could have.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, chewing on the inside of my cheek until the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

If this kept up, I'd have to get stitches in my mouth or something.

With a low sigh, I tried to calm my breathing, counting to ten like my Grandma had always told me to do when I needed to calm down.

'1…2…3…4…5…6…7..-'

The sound of the car door opening made me open my eyes and almost immediately I was stricken with terror.

My body tensed, and immediately my breathing was labored.

Standing on the drivers side with the door open was the killer, brandishing a long knife.

I could only imagine the look on the face of the person behind the mask.

Suddenly he was diving across the seats towards me, and I had opened the car door and I spilled out into the driveway, scooting myself back towards the yard.

The killer climbed out of the car just as I got to my feet, and suddenly I was running. My feet thidding against the ground as I ran for all I was worth, adrenaline and fear pumping through me.

Run…I just had to keep running. I couldn't let him catch me.

I leaped, hauling myself over Randy's neighbor's fence and dropping down on the other side, struggling to breath, and hoping that I wouldn't die.

I couldn't. Not now…Not like this.

I moved away from the fence, looking out across the dark yard.

The only good place to hide was the shed, but I couldn't go in there. If I got caught in there, I would surely die. No questions asked.

But I could hide behind it, at least long enough to catch my breath and think of a more reasonable plan.

'Oh God…what about Randy?' I though, my eyes widening.

In my 'fight-or-flight- impulse, I had only been worried about getting away.

But Randy was safely in his house right? And since the killer was after me…

Surely he would be safe. Surely.

Suddenly I was tackled to the ground, a pair of strong arms wrapping around my middle and forcing me to the ground.

I was turned around roughly to see the face of the mask.

And the eyes…I could see them through the mesh area that covered the eyes of the mask and…

Oh god…I knew those eyes…those blue-green eyes.

And suddenly it dawned on me very clearly who this was.

Just as a knife went plunging into my chest, making me scream.

I woke up in the car, screaming with tears falling down my cheeks, because…because of the nightmare I had just had.

Because it had seemed so real, and it had definitely been Stu behind that mask and…

"Cat?"

I stopped screaming immediately to see Randy at the driver's door, concern in his lovely blue eyes.

They weren't like Stu's. They were…softer somehow.

"Oh God…Randy…"

My voice was almost incoherant, and I found myself wishing that this didn't affect me as badly as it did.

But would something be wrong with me if it was like that? If it didn't affect me?

I didn't know.

Probably.

But suddenly none of that mattered, because Randy had crawled into the car, and he had pulled me into his arms, and they were wrapped around me, and he was whispering soothingly into my ear, and suddenly it didn't matter what he said, just so long as he kept doing it. Just so long as he was there, allowing me to trust him and only him.

Because really, who else could I trust.

Sidney maybe…but there was hesitation there.

Tatum possibly…but not anymore. Not after my dream.

But I had always trusted Randy unconditonally.

This time was no different.

I had my face buried into his shoulder so that my sobs were muffled, and he was lightly rubbing my back.

And…God I felt safe there.

He made me feel safe a secure, and that was amazing, given the current circumstances.

* * *

**Author's Note: Actually, I like this chapter. I find it very…well I can't think of a word for it at the present moment, but there's just something about it. This was out much sooner than I expected, and I hope you all enjoy it. This story is drawing to an end, but don't fret. I have started planning out the sequel, because yes there will be a sequel. I even know what the first words of the sequel are going to be. Hmm…the first person who can tell me all the movie references and explain them in a review will be told the first words. Yes…I believe so…**

**MusicalPushover: **I try my best to keep Cat as realistic as possible, but to also distinguish her as a separate character. I also want her to fit with these people and not seem like an outsider. She needed to have a past with them too, while also having her own past. And it wouldn't have been very interesting if she was just being targeted for being Sid's best friend like Tatum. I really feel like Cat fits in with this group. These are people she had known since she was little, and I think it shows. I'm really glad you like her by the way. I was secretly very paranoid that everybody would hate her, but I've received no complaints about her so far. As for the slap…I needed to show Cats fiery temper, because she does have one. And I know if I were in her shoes, I would be pissed at all the people running around the school in the costumes. She could have slapped any of them, this kid just happened to be the closest.

**KaidaThorn: **This chapter, I think, defines some major differences in Sidney and Cat. Cat is more prone to anger than Sidney. When Sid punched Gale, I think it was more because Sidney felt insulted. When Cat slapped this kid, it was because he had pissed her off. There is, however, a certain sense of fellowship between Sidney and Cat, and I'm waiting for the chance to really bring that to light. As for Cat's dismissal of Billy being the killer…it's not that she so blatantly cannot believe it, it's because she doesn't want to. She doesn't want to think that anybody is capable of killing. Especially not one of her friends. Besides that, Cat is not the type of person to believe in something blindly. She needs proof, and there was none that proved that Billy was the killer, so she dismissed that as a possibility. The cat thing was especially brutal to me. It's funny, because as I'm typing this, my own cat is using me as a jungle gym. When I was writing the chapter, all I could see was him falling out of the locker, and so I quickly had to give the cat a description. Thankfully I didn't go into 'Warriors' writing mode and give it a full-fledged description. Actually, about two years ago, I was writing an original horror story about a girl named Cat Summers. The killer in the story kept playing off of her name, and honestly I can see Stu doing the same thing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Scream.**

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"_This isn't a comedy, it's a horror film. People live, people die and you'd better start running."_

_Ghostface; Scream 4 (2011)_

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Why did this have to happen to me?

Me of all people. I wasn't a bad person. I was pretty well liked. I had never done anything terrible.

And yet it still ended up happening to me.

I was thoroughly convinced now that Stu was the killer.

The dream had truly gotten to me, and as unlikely as it seemed it gave me someone to accuse- to blame. I wasn't just totally scared of some unknown person. I was totally scared of somebody that I knew, and I don't know….maybe it made me less scared.

Because if it was Stu, then surely he'd still have a heart somewhere in him. He would still have feelings. He would be changeable, persuadable, just as he had always been.

"I think it's Stu," I said suddenly, making Randy look at me in surprise.

"What? Cat, you know I was just joking before right?"

I shurgged. How did I tell him that I thought Stu was the killer because I dreamed it?

I wasn't stupid. I knew better than to say that.

Randy was looking at me skeptically now, openly not believing me.

And why should he? I had just stated that someone we were both friends with had brutally tried to butcher me.

No….even more….I had just said that my ex-boyfriend had brutally tried to butcher me.

Stu….who had tried to open up with me even after we broke up. Stu who had been determined to remain friends. Stu who had never been rude to Randy after we had gotten together. Stu who on some level I would always have feelings for, because he was Stu and I was Cat, and we had known each other for so long and we _knew _each other.

He could easily tell someone that I had always wanted a pony when I was little and that I had taken horse-back riding lessons until I was thriteen and that I'd used to have a deep adoration for Billy Idol.

Likewise I knew that he was afriad of the dark until he was eleven and that his favorite movie as a child was '_101 Dalmation's_ and that he couldn't swim and he especially could swim at the ocean after having watched _'Jaws'_.

It was just one of those things where we had known each other forever and knew these kinds of little details.

Of course, Randy knew the same things about me, and probably more. After all, my relationship with Randy was much more meaningful than my relationship with Stu had been.

Randy and I talked more. He wasn't constantly trying to make out.

It wasn't one of those meaningless relationships. We had both agreed that if we were going to be in a relationship it had to go somewhere. There was no use in being in it if it was a dead end. That's just the way we thought.

It was a great contrast to Tatum and Stu's current relationship that only added fuel to my beleifs that he couldn't be in a mature relationship with anybody. Ever.

Because Stu wasn't mature. He acted like a child trapped in an eighteen year old's body. It was ridiculous and humiliating and the reason that I had broken up with him in the first place. Because I had tried to move forward but he was stuck where we had been. And he hadn't understood that when I had tried to explain why I dumped he. He wouldn't understand that I wasn't content with some dead-end relationship, even as a fifteen year old.

He had thrown a fit when I had told him- accused me of not enjoying my life. He said that I was growing up too fast and that I should just enjoy the way things were. He said that one day I would regret what I was doing.

But how could I regret it? I had what I wanted. I was happy.

No. I had been happy until this whole ordeal died, and I was taking it as a personal insult that my life was being torn apart.

It had already happened to Sid, the year prior. She knew the feeling.

I didn't. I didn't….couldn't understand the urge to fall apart and let everything go. I couldn't let myself understand, because after this was over I had no intentions to ever feel this way again.

I wouldn't let myself.

I'm a person who takes life as it comes. Who handles the cards that are dealt because they can't be changed. That's life.

You're born. Live a little. Then you die.

But I intended to live a little longer. I wanted to milk my life for everything it was worth, and damnit I would. I wouldn't fall and let myself be beaten. Not by the killer or by anyone else.

That's why I had to be at the party.

I had to end this thing and move on with my life. I had to get over this.

I had to kick its ass.

I leaned forward in my seat as Randy pulled into Stu's front yard.

Already there were cars everywhere, music blaring, and my peers spilling out onto the front porch.

These were people I knew- had known for the better part of eighteen years most of them.

How many of them would die tonight?

Or was it that the killer was waiting until they all left to begin his games.

I couldn't shake the idea of Stu being the killer, even if Randy had dismissed it.

I glanced at him once before opening my car door and slipping out, glancing around the yard.

I had been to Stu's house quite a few times, and everything was as I remembered it.

The same big farm house, the same plants, the same fence that was in a deep need of repair.

I had never understood how Stu's father could let the fence fall into such a state of disrepair. After all, he was the one with a fasciantion for tools.

I could distinctly remember his big red tool box in the garage with with the drawers, all filled to the brim with wrenches and hammers and screw drivers of all shapes and sizes.

Mrs. Macher, Stu's mom, had never been a big supporter of her husbands tool collection, but she knew that it made her husband happy so she never said anything.

When we were in elementary school, Stu would often bring his father's tools to show-and-tell. It was kind of endearing actually, the amount of admiration his childhood self had for his father.

It had been no different with me. I was always closer to my father than I was my mother. I felt that he was the one who really understood me.

He had been the one to take me to the comic store almost everyday as a child. He would buy me a comic everytime we went, and I still had every single one of them.

He was the one who had gotten my first issue of _'The Fantastic Four'_ comic signed by Stan Lee when he had went to Los Angeles for work. He had bought the comic for me, especially for that purpose, and had surprised me with it when he returned. I had been thirteen at the time.

My father had shown interest in me when my mother had not. Where he knew my favorite movie, my mother did not.

It was just one of those things.

If I had been prettier or taller or just someone different all together, then maybe my mother and I might have been closer.

The sad truth of it was I was not the person my mother wanted me to be.

I wasn't a cheerleader, or the type of girl to go shopping at the mall all the time, or the type to wear dresses and makeup. That just wasn't me, and it never would be.

I jumped slightly when Randy put a hand on my shoulder.

Was I ready for this?

No.

Would I ever be?

Probably not.

But I had to face it. I refused to be a coward anymore.

I took a deep breath before setting off across the yard, heading onto the front porch.

People called out greetings as Randy and I pushed inside, through a throng of students.

I nearly let out a scream when Stu came around a corner, talking over his shoulder to one of the partygoers that was trailing after him.

"Hey dickhead." Randy greeted, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me clsoer.

He could obviously sense my discomfort.

Stu turned, and when his eyes fell on my, they were filled with a strange sort of light.

Mischeif. A sick sort of glee.

Maybe I was imagining it, but there was nothing warm and inviting about his eyes.

If someone were to ask me, I would say that Randy's eyes were the prettiest I'd ever seen and while this was true, I'd always had a strange sort of fascination with Stu's blue-green eyes.

They were like a book

His eyes were always filled with emotions. Anger. Happiness. Amusement.

It didn't matter. Stu was like me in that sense.

We didn't 'kind of ' feel anything.

Our feelings came across full force. On the spectrum of emotions, there was no where in between.

We either loved something or we hated it.

We were either happy or sad.

He and I were both so immersed in our feelings and emotions- when we wanted something we wanted it whole-heartedly. We didn't have a slight yearning for something. We wanted it with every ounce of our being.

It's just the way we were.

And there was a certaing maliciousness in Stu's eyes that made me uneasy.

Not scared. I refused to be afraid of him. He would not beat me. He couldn't.

"Hey there Kitten." Stu smirked, walking towards us.

"I've got to go to the bathroom." I said quickly to Randy before pushing past Stu without returning his greeting.

I needed to get away. I needed to think.

I hurried up the stairs two at a time, before slipping into the bathroom and closing the door behind me, making sure it was locked.

When I looked at myself in the mirror, I didn't recognize the person staring back at me.

That wasn't Cat.

There was no fire in this stranger girl's eyes. There was no smirk on her lips.

Exhaustion shone in her heavily bagged eyes.

In short she- no I- looked horrible.

With a sigh I turned the water on warm and splashed it onto my face before leaning against the sink.

I was dreading tonight. I was dreading what could happen.

Sidney would be here too, and that probably wasn't a very good combination.

I needed a weapon. Something that would give me an edge in case anything happened.

Something big and dangerous.

I immediately though of Mr. Macher's sledge hammer in the garage.

Everytime I'd ever been here, to Stu's, the sledgehammer had been leaning against Mr. Macher's big red toolbox. It could certainly be deadly, and would keep me almost two arms-lengths away from anybody if I was swinging at them. I couldn't exactly go carrying it around the party though.

I could always get a butcher knife from the kitchen. It would be easy to hide in the sleeve of my leather jacket. Besides, if anything happened it would be helpful as a last resort.

If worse came to worse I would sneak out into the garage. There was the sledge hammer and an ax and a saw and….

Basically they could cause some damage.

When I realized what exactly I was planning for I couldn't help but laugh.

I don't mean a giggle. A full blown laugh, where I had to hold the sink to support myself as my body shook with the laughs.

It was the first time I had laughed in what felt like forever. And what's worse, what I was laughing at wasn't even funny.

But maybe it was the situation I was in- up in the bathroom of my ex-boyfriend's house, who I was sure was trying to butcher me, trying to decide what weapons would be best to use.

It was the most unusual predicament I had ever been in, and that's why I was laughing.

Under the surface though, the laughter was nervous. Ridicuously and disgustingly nervous.

For a moment I hated myself for it, but then the cold assuredness that nervousness was better than fear sunk it, and I didn't hate myself anymore.

A knock on the bathroom door made me jump, and I whipped around to face it, my eyes darting around for some kind of weapon.

"Cat, everything okay in there."

A groan escaped my throat at the sound of Stu's voice.

Why him?

Why couldn't Randy have come to check on me?

"Fine." I said, putting as much venom into my voice as I could as I pulled open the door.

Yes. There he was, his usual tall self, looking down at me with those blue-green eyes of his, trying to appear innocent.

But would he ever seem innocent to me ever again, even if he didn't turn out to be the kiler?

I went to walk past him, but he moved to block me,.

He was still staring at me, with a certain intensity in his eyes.

I glared back, scowling at him.

"Excuse me." I spat, making him grin.

"Have fun tonight, Kitten." He said pleasantly, side-stepping.

"Oh," I said walking past and stopping to glance back at him over my shoulder. "I intend to."

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**Author's Note: There you have it. Chapter six. This is a fairly borning chapter, since nobody got mutilated, but I do feel that it helps to show the past relationship with Stu, and shows a bit more of her Cat's personality, as well as her similarities with Stu. I try my best to get across the turmoil of emotions she is feeling at the moment, and to keep this story beleivable, as very rarely do I write stories where the main character is normal. There is nothing out of the ordinary about Cat. She is normal. Sometimes I get so in depth in her character, because I do love this character mind you. She is a brilliant character to write, and I'll be honest, she is probably one of the best Ocs I've ever created, and I have yet to hear any complaints about her. But I want to know what you all think of her personality and her relationships and her reactions. I want details, because it will help me with character development in later chapter. No responses to reviews this time, since I only got one. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Scream'.**

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"_You know the part in scary movies when somebody does something really stupid, and everybody hates them for it? This is it."_

_Trish; Jeepers Creepers (2001)_

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I had only gotten to the foot of the stairs when my phone rang out loudly, causing me to tense

immediately.

I didn't know who would call me. Everybody that I talked to on a regular basis would be here. Or on their way. My mom was still being held in the jailhouse.

I had to remember to thank Sheriff Burke for that.

With a low groan I reached into my back pocket and got my cellular, flipping it open to see 'Unknown Caller' flashing on the screen.

Fuck.

I pressed the answer button and pressed the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" On sheer will alone, my voice remained steady- strong.

"Looking forward to tonight kitten?" The voice asked, a low chuckle following after the sentence.

Chills went up my spine.

I was fully prepared to say "Fuck this," and haul Randy into my jeep and leave. But I couldn't.

This had to end on my terms. I couldn't let this intimidate me. I couldn't let this ruin me.

The sound of footsteps on the stair case behind me made me whip around to see Stu descending down the staircase, a wide grin on his face.

A jolt was sent through my heart.

If it wasn't him on the phone then who was it? Who could it possibly be talking to me.

Was Stu innocent?

No.

The look in his eyes told me that- told me that he knew what was going on and he was amused by it. Infinitely amused.

This was his plan. He wanted no doubt on him. He didn't want any suspicion on him.

But…Stu wasn't smart enough to think this up himself. He had frequently proved that he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box.

So…there was another killer. A smart one.

But they underestimated me- underestimated my knowledge of Stu's personality.

"Oh yeah," I said over the phone brightly, with a smile.

Stu's grin faltered slightly.

I shouldn't be reacting like this right? Like I'd just received good news. I hadn't, had I?

Oh, but I had. This was good news. I was figuring things out. If I just kept talking then maybe I could figure out who both of the killers were. It would help me in the long run.

"Oh? What are you looking forward to the most then, bitch?"

I smiled, as if somebody had just complimented me over the phone, confusing Stu even further.

"Unmasking your ass. Stu's too. I gotta admit. You almost got me. You're a smart cookie, aren'tcha? Surprised that I figured it out so quickly Billy?"

I had thrown the name out, as a sort of wager. It would help me figure out if I was right or wrong.

And judging by the look of surprise the flickered across Stu's face, I was right.

"This isn't Billy," the voice said, obviously unaware that Stu was standing right there and had given him away.

"Mmm…sure. What the fuck ever. I gotta call the cops now. Bye, Billy."

I pulled the phone away from my ear, as if to hang up, but still watching Stu closely.

His eyes were set on my cell phone. Cold and calculating suddenly.

The look didn't suit him.

"You little bitch! You hang up and you won't even get the chance to dial the 9! And your little boy toy won't make it either!"

Even though I was holding the phone away from my ear I could hear the voice, deep and menacing. Threats towards me I could handle, but against Randy…

"Fuck you!" Suddenly the phone was back at my ear, and I was spitting out these words full of venom and fury. How dare he threaten him! "Don't you have anything better to do in life. You're fucking pathetic. Both of you!"

And with that I shut the phone and turned on my heel, striding away from Stu and into the living where everybody seemed to be congregating at.

Randy looked up as I walked in, a grin on his face.

I smiled back as best I could and sat next to him, allowing him to wrap his arm around me and pull me closer, because this was Randy and he knew that something was wrong.

"Talk about it later?" He whispered in my ear, making me nod.

'If there is a later,' I couldn't help thinking, but I shook the thought away. That would help no one. At all. Ever.

I had decided I wouldn't call the cops.

No.

I would end this on my terms. They had threatened me, and even worse, they had threatened Randy.

They deserved more than a life sentence to jail or something. I deserved a taste of their own medicine. More specifically, and well placed knife to some vital area.

It scared me how I was thinking of killing them. Even worse, it scared me to think of how it would change me after the act was done.

But they deserved to die, and if luck was in my favor it would be at my hand.

I suppose that didn't make me any better than them, but it had to be done.

I was barely aware of Sid and Tatum arriving, but then Tatum sat down on my other side, and next thing I knew she was waving a hand in front of my face.

"Helloooooooo? Cat?"

I turned to her, suddenly very startled with my eyes wide.

"Huh?"

She furrowed her brow at me, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I asked how long you've been here." She said, but I only shrugged and turned away, not in the mood to talk.

"Geez," she muttered. "You don't have to be a bitch about it."

Something in her voice struck me deep, and I stood up, suddenly realizing that Randy was no longer sitting next to me.

Had I been that out of it.

I hurried out of the living room, away from Tatum, who annoyance I didn't want to deal with at that very moment.

I entered the kitchen absently, because everybody had vacated it in favor of being in the living room.

No doubt Randy had started his campaign for which movie should be watched.

I glanced around, making sure that I really was alone, before walking over to the counter and hoisting myself up.

It was quieter in here, and for that I was thankful.

I was so glad nobody was in here trying to talk to me, or joke around with me.

It was truly more than I could have hoped for.

My eyes darted around the kitchen, until it fell on the drawer by the stove.

Something in me jolted, and suddenly I had hopped down onto the floor and hurried over to the drawer, opening it in a rush and pulling out a big chef's knife, holding it at arms length and suddenly feeling very much like Micheal Myers, which was never what somebody wanted to feel like.

But the knife…it sent a surge of power through me like nothing I had ever felt.

It made me feel strong, like maybe I could save myself and Randy and all of my other friends.

A sound from the hallway outside the kitched made me jump slightly, and suddenly I was leaning over and lifting up my pant leg to shove the handle of the knife down into my sock before hiding it again and hurrying from the kitchen in time to see Tatum disappear into the garage.

Somehow I had a bad feeling about that.

I pushed it away though, and walked back into the living room to see Randy crouching down in front of the television, working on putting a movie in the VCR.

I sat down on the couch, groaning and leaning my head back as those around me joked around.

Perhaps my time could better be spent elsewhere.

Perhaps this was a stupid plan and I knew that I was going to die.

But now….right now, Randy was there and that was reassuring.

I depended on him.

Maybe I had never realized how much I did, but it was true.

Randy turned when he had finished working on the television and smiled at me, sitting down beside me and wrapping his arm around me.

"Terror Train." He told me, and I nodded.

I was a horror movie buff after all, and what horror fan doesn't like Jamie Lee Curtis. Even though I was more of a Robert Englund fan.

I smiled at Randy tentively, my smile small and a bit unsure, because really why should I have been smiling.

If it were any person but Randy, at the moment, they'd be much more likely to receive a scowl.

But it was Randy, and I loved him, and there was absolutely no reason to be cold or mean to him.

So I leaned over against him so that my head was on his chest, and he held me in our typical movie watching pose.

This is how it usually was when we watched movies. This way we were both comfortable and able to sit _together_ and watch the movie.

And let's face it, Randy and I spent a lot of time watching movies.

"Best horror movie?" Randy questioned in a whisper to which I immediately responded, "Nightmare on Elm Street."

He already knew this of course, but we often did this, and he knew it would calm me down. I suspected this was what this whole thing was about.

If only he knew.

"Best comedy?"

"Ghostbusters."

"Best romance?"

"Gone With the Wind."

"Best sci-fi?"

"Jurassic Park."

I looked up at him forcing a grin on my face. He knew what my answer would be to every question. He knew my answers to most questions, and if he didn't he could guess. And the way he was so subtly trying to make me comfortable with something so familiar was endearing.

We watched the rest of the movie in silence, and to be honest I was just happy that nothing bad had happened. It wasn't until the movie went off that I realized Tatum hadn't returned.

Well fuck…

I stood, looking around frantically for my friend. Had she ever come back from the garage?

Was she able to come back from the garage?

"Cat?"

I looked back at Randy, who was watching me confusedly.

"Uh….popcorn. I was looking for popcorn." I offered lamely. "I'll go make some."

I hurried around the couch towards the kitchen, needing the have breathing room, and needing to think without being distracted.

I eyed the phone, considering calling the police right anyway, despite being sure earlier that I wanted this to end my way.

But….would they be able to do anything?

Somehow I doubted it. Most other people I knew would call and demand they come right away. I wasn't one of those people. When you're like me, you learn not to depend on people.

I looked through the cabinets for popcorn so that I'd actually have something to show for my lame excuse of rushing away.

"Cat…?"

I let out a yelp, looking up with my heart racing.

Randy stood in the doorway of the kitchen, leaning agaisnt the frame and watching me with a furrowed brow.

"Hmm?"

"Are you…okay?"

I shrugged because really, what was I gonna do? Lie?

"Cat…."

His tone told me everything I needed to know.

He was frustrated with me yes. But he was also worried about me. And he loved me….so much.

"I just….everything….everything has gone to shit."

I ran a head through my ponytail, my fingers getting caught on the thick strands which only served to annoy me further when I had to tug them out.

Randy stepped forward, towards me, his blue eyes softening. We hadn't talked about what was going on. How could we? I had almost gotten murdered. I hadn't been able to talk to the police about it. My emotions flared so easily.

It was becoming more and more obvious that I wasn't okay. I wouldn't be okay for a long time yet, because this was one of those things that you couldn't just shrug off and forget.

He caught my shoulders in his hands and pulled me too him, putting my head on his chest and then wrapping his arms around me, enveloping me in them.

"I'm here for you." He told me softly. "I always will be."

**Author's Note: I am so sorry for the long wait. School has just recently started and besides that I've been working on writing an original story. I am genuinely sorry about not being able to update this however, especially since this story seems to be well-received. I'd like the thank all of my reviewers and followers. As we draw nearer and nearer to the end of this story I find myself surprised that I actually managed to get this far. There are three chapters left and we get closer and closer to the climax. I will tell everybody this though, the last chapter will be setting up for the sequel, so no brutality there. Not that there has been any carnage in the past few chapter, but its just a way of setting everything up. That also means that there will be plenty of blood and gore in the next few chapters. Also, I've been working out details for the future stories of this series, especially for the fourth installment where another character's POV will enter. Because just as there is a new 'Sydney' and 'Tatum' and 'Randy' and 'Billy' and 'Stu', there will be a new 'Cat'. Just though you all would like to know, since most of you seem so fond of Cat.**

**Samtastic: **I can't very well tell you that without giving spoilers, can I? I will say that you are right. Cat's mother is a horrible mother. Also though, you must understand, Cat's mother is very judgemental. She wants Cat to be a certain way, just as she was raised up to be. Cat, in her mother's eyes, is a disappointment because of the way she turned out. The two of them just have very different views of the way things should be. I will tell you this though. Cat's mother will serve as a more important character in the future. And I'm hoping that what I have planned will surprise everybody.

**MusicalPushover: **Thanks for your kind review. I'll be honest, the previous chapter was to stretch the story out so that the carnage didn't start to happen too early. I don't want these chapters to be too short, but because it is based off of a movie, it gets difficult to stretch chapters out to ten chapters. I think I'm doing a pretty good job of it. As for Cat and Stu's relationship well….I wanted to establish their previous relationship more. I also wanted to make it very clear that the two are very similar, and yet different. There had to be a reason for their past relationship, and that had to be established very clearly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Scream'.**

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"_I-I-I watched him for fifteen years, sitting in a room, staring at a wall, not seeing the wall, looking past the wall- looking at this night, inhumanly patient, waiting for some secret, silent alarm to trigger him off. Death has come to your little town, Sheriff. Now you can ignore it, or you can help me to stop it."_

_Dr. Sam Loomis, Halloween(1978)_

* * *

"Hey, Cat. Have you seen Tatum?"

I looked up in surprise as Sid spoke to me, eyes glimmering in annoyance at Tatum's disappearance.

God, if only she knew.

Randy and I had just exited the kitchen, hand and hand. We were headed back to the living room to watch 'Halloween' and then we would leave.

Somehow, I doubted that.

"Uh…no. Not since earlier." I shrugged apologetically, feeling horrible for not coming clean right then and there.

And then I heard a little "Boo!" from the open front door where people had been rapidly exiting.

I yelped, whipping my hand from Randy's and turning to face the doorway, just as Billy appeared, making Stu, who was standing by the door, grin widely.

"Jesus Billy, you scared me." Sidney said from behind me.

I scowled , crossing my arms over my chest.

"Dude, whate are you doing here?" Stu asked with a not-so-subtle wink in Billy's direction.

"I was hoping Sid and I could talk." Billy said with a meaningful look towards Sid.

"If Tatum sees you she'll draw blood." Sidney said jokingly.

I frowned at that. Tatum….poor Tatum.

"You guys can go up to my parents to talk and…whatever." Stu said, clasping his hands together and still grinning widely.

"Subtlety Stu. Look it up."

I couldn't help but sneer at Billy at that. He had planned this. "That's okay. We need to talk." Sid said, reaching forward to take Billy's hand.

Before she could I stepped between them, with a meaningful look towards Sid.

"I don't think that's a good idea Sid."

She looked confused by my interjection, but before I could say anything I was pulled away by large hands on my shoulders.

Immediately my heart was sent into a panic, beating wildly in my chest my eyes widening.

"Don't be a cock block, Cat." A voice said close to my ear.

God, an all too familiar voice.

Suddenly, I was whipping around and pushing him away, a strangled sort of cry clawing from my throat.

"Don't touch me!" I ordered. "_Don't_ _fucking touch me!"_

I was backing away slowly, my eyes trained on Stu, my breathing ragged.

He put on a confused face because this time we had an audience. Because this time he had to keep on a front and make me look crazy.

But then Randy was rushing forward, suddenly not concerned with the fact that Billy was clearly not supposed to be here, and he had me in his arms, holding me close and whispering in my ear.

"It's okay, baby. It's just me. Nobody is going to hurt you."

The words would've been soothing and Billy and Sidney weren't vanishing up the stairs and if Stu hadn't been giving me a huge, evil grin.

But there was something there in his eyes too. Some emotion that I couldn't place.

Not that I had much time to look, because suddenly Randy was guiding me into the living room and sitting me on the couch and putting a movie on.

And when someone put a beef in my hand I didn't object, because I was too caught up on that look.

I just couldn't place it, and it was infuriating. I know I had seen it before.

Randy sat back down beside me, a beer in his hand as well, and I watched the movie absently, some faraway part of my brain recognizing the opening credits to 'Halloween'.

How many time had we watched this movie? How many times had I pretended to be scared when Michael Myer's popped out from the back seat to attack Annie. How many times had I playfully leaped into Randy's lap when Laurie and the children were chased through the house.

It seemed so far away now…

Had it really only been yesterday when we were all sitting around the fountain laughing and joking.

Had it really only been a week ago when Randy and I had seen the midnight showing of 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'.

God, I could remember _that_ so clearly. Randy had never gone, but I had, and I was adamant that this was one of those things that had to be on somebody's bucket list. And I had told him it would be best to get it over with, but it was one of those things that you had to do all out.

I had been tempted….so tempted to try to get him to dress like Frank-n-furter, but he was already so skeptical about going and I didn't want to downright scare him. Or scar him…which ever came first.

It had taken a mild Brad costume and the promise of seeing me in a maid outfit that finally convinced him, and then he told his mom that he was staying at Stu's, and I told mine that I was staying at Tatum's, and then we had taken my jeep and driven to the nearest town that had a theatre that did the midnight showing. We got a room and the cheapest nice hotel we could find with his paycheck that week and what was left over from my tip money from my summer job at the only steak house in Woodsboro.

I barricaded myself in the bathroom with makeup and hair product and then proceeded to turn myself into Magenta.

Needless to say, Randy had been very pleased when I came back out.

We went to the theatre after that, and I told anybody that asked that I had stolen Brad from Janet for the night.

Could that have only been last week?

How could there have ever been a time when things weren't like this.

It didn't seem right or fair.

It didn't feel like only a day ago when they were going about their lives normally.

It seemed as if a longer void of time had passed, and suddenly I felt old. Older than I should have felt.

I didn't know if I would ever be the same girl from before. Somehow, I doubted it.

That girl….that other Cat….had worried about things like where she and Randy would eat after he got off and whether she would have her media project in on time and whether she should buy a certain brand of colored pencils.

All of those things seemed unbearably shallow now that I had to worry about staying alive and keeping Randy alive.

Randy….

Somehow it all came back to him.

I knew that I loved him. God, I loved him with every fiber of my being. And that's why couldn't let him be killed.

Not only that but….Randy was a genuinely good person. He was so very unlike me in that aspect.

He was so easy to get along with…so quick to try and make others laugh.

And me…what about me.

I was so easily angered. I was quick to lash out against others. I was selfish.

I was selfish for not calling the police, all because I needed this to end because of me.

I sighed, shaking my head, trying to shake these horrible thoughts away.

Randy glanced at me, a frown on his face before pulling me towards him and wrapping his arms around me.

"Look, here it comes. SPLAT!"

I looked up in surprise as one of classmate sitting down the couch from me spoke. If I remembered correctly his name was Phil.

Had I really been so absorbed in my thoughts that we'd gotten this far in the movie without me noticing.

"The blood's not the right color. Why do they do that? It's too red." Another classmate, Anthony, said.

"Here comes another…" Randy said, just as Michael went to stab the boy on screen again.

"Predictable. I knew he was going to bite it." Another kid, Donovan, said.

"Yeah, well, Michael has him held of the ground. I think we've seen already just how brutal the guy can be. I think it's obvious the kid was gonna die." I said dryly, and edge to my voice.

Honestly, I surprised myself with that comment. Has I really just snapped back at someone over a fucking movie when the events going on around us were so real?

"How can you watch this shit over and over?" Phil asked, the question directed at Randy and I.

"Shhhh…." Randy put a finger to his lips, totally absorbed in the movie.

"I wanna see Jamie Lee's breasts. When do we see Jamie Lee's breasts?" Stu asked, and I have to admit he was doing a damn good job at keeping his cover in front of everybody else.

"Not until 'Trading Places' in '83. Jamie Lee was always a virgin in horror movies, She didn't show her tits 'till she went legit." Randy said, still not taking his eyes off the screen.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that. Randy's fascination with Jamie Lee Curtis had always left me stumped. I mean sure she was a huge player in horror movies, but still….

"No way." Donovan said skeptically.

"That's why she always lived. Only virgins can outsmart the killer in the big chase scene in the end. Don't you know the rules?"

I sighed. These were rules that Randy and I had devised when we had first started dating. We had gone to my house when my mom was out getting drunk and had watched our favorite horror movies, starting with 'Halloween' and ending with 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'. As we watched we started to joke about why characters did certain things in every movie that most assuredly caused them to die. Then we questioned as to why the characters who didn't do these things always lived. Shortly thereafter the rules were born, and not just rules for horror movies but for horror sequels and then later for ending chapters in any trilogy movie, because Randy had so badly wanted to touch on that.

"What rules?" Stu asked, causing Randy to look at him with a mixture of surprise and mock-horror. If it were anybody else but Stu I might have felt sorry for them being on the receiving end of one of Randy's movie rants.

I reached forward toward the remote, hitting the pause button just as Randy stood in all of his geekish-glory, looking down at those assembled.

"Christ, this is standard horror movie knowledge. Even people who don't have the rules set in their minds should at least be subconsciously aware, right Cat?"

"Yeah…"I said absently, watching him now, waiting to see exactly how he would go about this.

"There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie. For instance: You can never have sex."

At these words, those around me let out groans, and I couldn't help but grin slightly. By those standards, Randy and I were both dead in a horror movie.

"The minute you get a little nookie- you're as good a gone. Sex always equal death. 2. Never drink or do drugs. The sin factor. It's an extension of number one. And 3. Never ever under any circumstances say, "I'll be right back", because you won't be back."

"Wanna another beer?"

We all turned as Stu spoke from the archway leading into the hallway.

"Yeah." Randy waved a hand dismissively.

"I'll be right back."

Everybody let out groans as Stu grinned widely and moved back down the hallway as if he were being dragged.

I scowled, his act annoying me.

"There he goes folks- a dead man. Wave bye-bye." Randy said.

I sighed leaning back in my seat and running a hand through my ponytail again.

* * *

As the night wore on, I was growing more and more antsy.

I tried to focus on the movie, hoping it would distract me from what was going on.

"Look, here comes the obligatory tit shot." Randy said, pointing to the screen.

I stood abruptly shaking my head.

"I'll leave you guys to it." I said, because it wasn't working in distracting me, and had grown to be more of an annoyance.

Randy looked up at me, confused, and I tried to smile reassuringly at him.

"It's fine. I'm gonna go to the kitchen and get some food. Enjoy you're movie."

With that I stepped around the couch and hurried down the hallway to the kitchen.

Apparently this room was going to end up being my base of operations or something because I kept on ending up back here.

I opened the refrigerator, eyes scanning over its contents, because honestly I think food was going to be more distracting than the movie.

Only, I had forgotten how Stu's parents never kept any good junk food, because his mom was always preaching about healthy food. I closed the fridge and moved to one of the bags on the counter, rifling through it to find a bag of Cheetos, which I quickly opened.

I hopped up on the counter and began to eat.

The crunching of the chips helped to drown out the noise of the movie from the living room, and it kinda drowned out my thoughts too, because honestly if I stopped to think about everything, I would begin to think the worst. My pessimism would get the better of me.

I had eaten a good chunk of the bag when I heard the outcrys from the living room.

I had my hand out of the bag in an instant and was rushing to it just as my classmate were running out, hollering loudly, leaving Randy alone on the couch.

"Randy…what happened?" I asked looking at him.

"Oh…Principal Himbry is dead and gutted and hanging on the football field. Could you get me another beer? Stu never came back."

He looked at me, bleary-eyed and very nearly drunk.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I think you've had enough." I tried to ignore the comment about Stu not coming back.

He frowned, before shrugging and turning back to the movie, laying back on the couch.

I sighed, sitting next to him and pulling his head into my lap. It was probably best if I stayed with him for now.

I watched him in silence as he shouted advice at the screen, still working on what was left of his beer, and then switching to the one I had left behind, ignoring the protests I gave.

I scowled.

"Randy, I really don't think that's a good idea."

"No, Jamie," He slurred. "Look behind you. Watch out. Behind you!"

I groaned as I watched him. He was drunker than I thought.

I turned my eyes back to the screen, stiffening as I did.

Shit….

In the reflection of the screen I saw the killer, moving through the room behind us.

I whipped around, just in time to see him dart out the front door.

My heart caught in my chest, and I looked down at Randy who was looking up at me in confusion.

"What?" He asked.

"Come on." I said firmly. "The killer is here." I took his hand and pulled him up, despite his protests.

"What do you mean?" He asked, slightly sobered up from what I had just said.

"What I mean is we're leaving." With that I pulled him towards the garage, not at all willing to go out the fron door, following the path of thee killer.

Fuck what I had said earlier. The only thing that mattered now was leaving and getting Randy out of here.

I pulled open the door of the garage, and immediately recoiled in shock, hand flying to cover my mouth as bile rose in my throat.

My stomach churned unsteadily, and I had to turn away because dangling dead from the cat door in the garage was Tatum, dead, her head smashed in from the garage.

Randy stiffened, suddenly completely sober as he put his hand on my back.

"Cat…" he said carefully. "We need to go. Now."

He was right of course, but seeing one of my best friends dead like that suddenly made this seem much more real.

And I suddenly realized just how scared I was. The realization was like ice water, working its way down my spine and chilling me to the very core.

I groaned, before nodding and moving out into the garage, ducking under the door, and trying the keep my distance from Tatum's body.

Randy was barely a step behind me the old time, and like him I was watching our surroundings carefully…so carefully.

Once outside, he moved closer to me, still looking around, and he took my hand.

"It's best that nothing separates us." He said finally, and without waiting for a response we were walking again. We hugged the house was we moved around it, heading to the front drive way so we could get in my jeep and drive. God, was I going to drive us out of here so fast.

We got to the front of the house in time to see a figure climb into the news van that was parked about a hundred yards away from my jeep.

"Hey…its Gale Weathers. She might know something. Let's go see."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Randy was suddenly dragging me across the yard to the van, despite me pulling against him.

"Randy, I don't think that's a good idea." I said, trying desperately to get him to listen to me.

Why wasn't he listening? Why weren't we in my jeep driving away?

He pulled me around to driver's side of the van, just as Gale started the wind-shield wipers. There was an obvious red sheen of something on the wind-shield.

"What's going on?" Randy asked going straight to the window.

Gale let out a scream of terror, before slamming her phone against Randy's face, making him collapse, holding his face and groaning.

Before I could do anything, Gale pulled away, reversing.

'She's a real bitch,' I thought as I got to my knees next to Randy, trying to pry his hands away from his face.

We didn't have time for this, I knew. But Randy didn't have a high-tolerance for pain, and there would be no moving him in this state.

"Randy?" I said, pulling him up as best I could. "We have to go. No-"

"DEWEY!"

I looked up with a start in time to see Sidney standing in the front walk-way into the house. Dewey lay collapsed on the ground with the killer standing over him.

"Shit!" I cursed, before pushing Randy down in the tall grass and laying on my stomach next to him, my blood roaring in my ears as my heart thundered in my chest.

Had he seen us. Did he know we were there crouching in the grass and weeds.

I watched through the grass as best a could as Sidney dashed to the police cruiser opening the door and getting in hurriedly.

I couldn't see very well from where we were, but the odds didn't seem to be in Sidney's favor. She was cornered, so to speak. Trapped in the car with no way out. If she climbed out, she would be killed. If she stayed inside he would find a way in.

As we watched, the killer dropped low to the ground, and my breath caught in my throat. There was a flash of silver in his hands.

"We should d-" Randy started, but I cut him off, clapping my hand over his mouth, my eyes widening.

I shook my head no, indicating he should speak.

I knew the likelihood that they would hear us from where they were was unlikely, especially with us whispering. I just didn't want there to be any chance at all that they heard.

We watched in silence, breaths caught in our throats as we saw Sid doing everything in her power to stay alive, diving across the car to keep doors locked.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, the flesh there still ragged from where I had chewed it the past few days. It wasn't very long until the metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth.

I wanted to scream when the killer began to raise the back of the jeep rise.

I couldn't very well tell from where we were what Sidney was doing in the car but she didn't seem to notice.

And then, quite suddenly the killer was leaping in and wrapping his hands around Sid's throat and she was fighting back and in a flurry of movement she had pushed herself from the car and was running back towards the house.

And the killer was running around the side, swiftly, disappearing into the darkness, and before I could stop him, Randy was up, striding across the yard and yelling out Sidney's name

"Sidney!" He yelled, and she looked back, fear written all across her face. "We gotta get the fuck outta here."

She reaches down, grabbing Dewey's gun from it's holster on his belt. He pointed at Randy who froze, and then I was up, running after him.

"Sid-" I began, but she cut me off pointing the gun at my chest.

"Stop right there." She said through clenched teeth.

"No….Sid….we didn't-"

I took a step forward arms outstretched showing her there was nothing in my hands.

Betrayal churned in the depths of my stomach.

Sidney….one of my best friends…who I knew felt a lot closer to me after I had been attacked too…..thought I was a killer. She thought I was capable of killing those close to us.

It hurt. It stung in a way that I knew I wouldn't forget any time soon.

But I did understand. I knew where she was coming from. I knew she was terrified and felt alone…so horribly, wretchedly alone.

"Don't come any closer." She said, moving the gun from me to Randy and then back to me.

"Sid…it's us…your friends." Randy said. "We…found Tatum. She's dead."

"Stu did it." I said firmly. "Stu and B-"

"Don't listen to her Sid. "

I spun around as a voice spoke out from behind me.

A voice that was so familiar. God, why did he have to do it. Why did he have to go down this path?

"He did it Sidney." I said, turning back to face her, willing her to believe me. She had to believe me. She had to know that neither Randy nor I would ever do this.

"She's lying. They killed Tatum. And Billy."

My eyes widened at that.

Billy was dead?

But I had been so sure that it had been him, and Stu's reactions earlier had confirmed it. There had been

no doubt in my mind that it had been Billy and Stu. But had it been Stu and someone else, and if it had

been someone else then who?

Who was capable of doing such a thing and then framing Billy?

But…I knew Stu so well…I had seen the truth in his eyes with his reactions.

I wasn't wrong.

I looked at Stu, meeting his eyes steadily, and even then I could see the lies brimming there.

"He's lying Sidney." I said firmly.

Stu took a step towards Sidney, arm outstretched as if asking for help.

The gun was pointed at him in an instant.

"Stay away." She said.

She aimed it at him, then me, then Randy, not knowing who to trust.

"Sidney, give me the gun." I said softly, stepping forward carefully.

It was on my again, and a froze, taking a step back.

"Sid…."

She didn't know what to do…She didn't know who to trust. Indecision was in her eyes. She needed to do

Something, she knew that. And then….

"Fuck all three of you."

And then she was stepping into the house and slamming the door shut behind her.

"Sidney!"

I was up the steps in an instant, pounding on the door with the palms of my hands, desperately willing

Sidney to open the door.

I heard Randy cry out behind me, and turned just in time to see Stu running away, disappearing around the edge of the house.

"Sidney…he's gone! He's gone crazy." Randy yelled, running up on the porch next to me and banging on the door.

"Sid…please. Please let us in!"

A cheerful ringing makes me scream, and it takes me a moment to realize it is my cell phone ringing.

I pull it from my pocket, praying its is someone who will help.

I open it, looking at the number, infinitely releived that it's not 'Unknown.'

It was Sidney's dad. God….how long had I had his number. I had gotten it just after Sid's mom died. He told me to call in case something happened to Sidney.

"God…Mister Prescott I-"

"Having fun, Cat?" The voice that was so familiar to me now, said.

I let out a scream that was a mix between fear, frustration, and anger.

I tossed my cell phone to the ground, before bringing the heel of my combat boot down harshly on the offending piece of technology.

It took a few harsh stomps but finally it broke .

I didn't stop stomping until it was in thousands of timy pieces, and then I kicked the pile, watching as it scattered all over the porch and down into the flower bed.

"Fuck you." I spat in the general direction of where most of the pieces had flew.

"Cat?"

I turned to see Randy looking at me, eyes round as if I had just gone crazy.

And maybe my little outburst did entail lunacy. I didn't know.

All I knew was that I was tired- so tired- of all of this.

I needed a break. I needed this to be over.

I jumped at the sound of the front door opening, and Randy was rushing inside suddenly.

I was a step behind him.

I froze when I saw Billy looking at me, covered in blood, and very nearly turned to rush back outside, but Randy closed the door behind me, and I was left standing there staring at Billy with wide eyes.

He was covered with blood, and had Dewey's knife in his hand.

"Stu's flipped out." Randy was telling them. "He's gone mad."

Billy turned to look at Randy, a manic sort of smile on his face.

"We all go a little mad sometimes." He said, his voice an almost husky whisper. And then he raised the gun, pointing it at Randy who's eyes widened.

"Oh shit."

And then the shot rang out, and I was screaming and Randy was flying back, hitting a small table that held a vase of flowers. Both the vase and the table broke under Randy's weight as he fell to the ground.

"Randy!"

I dashed forward and hit my knees beside him, shaking him because he had to wake up. He just had to…

"Anthony Perkins- Psycho."

I glared up at Billy, who was looking at me, a strange sort of smile playing at the corners of his lips.

He turned to Sidney who was watching him, unmoving eyes wide.

I could practically see the thought process in her head.

This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be.

He raised his hand, licking some of the blood of his finger.

"Mmm." He sighed appreciatively. "Corn syrup. Same stuff they used for pig's blood in 'Carrie'. But then," he turned to look at me. "You already knew that, didn't you Cat?"

"Bite me." I spat, narrowing my eyes at him. I hoped every bit of my hate for him showed on my face.

"Ah…no. I'll leave that job for-"

"Stu…please…help us…."

My head snapped to the doorway where Stu was sanding, looking straight at me.

"Stu…" Sidney pleaded, tugging on his sweater.

He finally looked at her before raising his hand to his mouth. I caught sight of some weird sort of device in his hand before he pressed a button on it and spoke.

"Surprise Sidney." He said, and my heart skipped a beat.

Of course….I had been sure that it had been Billy and Stu, but now that I had proof of _that_ voice, it seemed a lot more real.

I don't know what to do myself, because their attention is focused on Sidney, and I'm thinking that maybe I'd be able to get away if I bolted right then. But that's the coward's way out, and yet suddenly I'm not feeling very brave.

But I can't leave. Not if there is even the slightest chance that Randy could still be alive.

And even If I were going to, I know my chance to do it is gone when Billy looks at me, still with that look on his face, and my breath catches in my throat.

It's too real. I want it to stop.

I just want to wake up from whatever nightmare this is.

But deep down, I know I can't.

"You wanted her Stu. There she is. Do whatever with her. Sidney is mine."

I look up at Stu as he pushes Sidney towards Billy and strides over to me, yanking me up by my forearm.

I yelp and try to pull away, but he holds on tightly, pulling me down the hallway and out into the garage, pushing me into it despite my fierce struggling.

"No!" I yell turning to look at him. "No! No! No!"

I'm screaming now, and tears of fury are running down my cheeks.

I didn't want to be away from Randy. I needed to be there in case he woke up.

I rush forward, trying to make some rutile attempt to get past Billy, because there is that part of my brain that demands that I get back to Randy, because then I will be safe.

But then the rational part that is fearing for my safety is telling me that if I comply and wait for the right time then maybe I'll be able to get away.

Stu steps in my way before I can get past him, putting his arms on my shoulders and holding me in place.

"Cat! Stop!"

I freeze, suddenly realizing there are tears rolling down my cheeks.

When did I start crying.

And as he is looking at me, something in Stu seems to break.

"Don't cry. Don't cry." His voice….it's pleading and I'm taken aback.

"W-what?"

"You can't go in there. If you do, Billy will kill you."

"As opposed to you killing me?" I asked, my voice quivering slightly.

"I'm not going to kill you." He said softly, looking down at me and raising a hand to stroke my cheek tenderly.

"I've never intended to. It's you, Cat. I wouldn't be able to do it."

His words….they struck a cord deep inside me, and I have to take a step back. He doesn't let me get far until he wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me toward him, crushing me in a hug.

"This….it was all for you. I did it for you." He says.

For me? He did it…for me?

What was it meant to be, a homicidal maniac's way of declaring his love?

Somehow I wasn't buying it.

"I had to get you back. Cat….I want you. You're mine. And he had you."

I look up at him to see that he is totally serious. And it scares me.

"Stu…."

"No….see….we'll kill Billy. You and me. And we'll end up being the world's luckiest survivors. We'll stumble around school for a few months mourning over the losses of Tatum and Randy. And then we'll get back together. A tragic love story."

There is a glint in his eyes, and I know he is serious. I know he fully expected me to be on board with this.

"Cat….you still love me. I know you do. I don't want to kill you. So…will you do it? Will you help me kill Billy?"

How could I agree. How could he expect me to agree.

'_But you would live.'_ The nast, dark part of my brain whispered, making me shiver.

No. It was wrong. I couldn't. I couldn't spend the rest of my life with a lunatic, because that seemed to be exactly what he wanted.

'_You would be alive. You loved him once. You could love him again.'_

No….I loved Randy. And because of Stu and Billy he was hurt. He could be dead because of them.

'_Better him than you.'_

No….that wasn't right. This….wasn't okay.

"Cat?" Stu prompted, and I stared up at him, wide-eyed.

"Okay." I whispered.

**Author's Note: This…took forever. But thankfully the next chapter will wrap things up and then it's the epilogue. And then the sequel. I feel no shame in disclosing the name of a future character who will serve for plot devices in the sequel. Her name is Vicky, and that is all you will get out of me.**

**This chapter, I feel, gets better towards the end. I hope you all like this plot twist, as I goes away from the original movie, and leaves you all with your imaginations as to what is going on with Billy and Sidney without Stu there. Expect the next chapter out before too long. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Scream'.**

* * *

"_When someone dies in the grip of a powerful rage... a curse is born. The curse gathers in that place of death. Those who encounter it will be consumed by its fury."_

_The Grudge(2004)_

* * *

A smile cut across Stu's face, his eyes lighting up.

"Really?" Excitement was evident in his voice.

I could only nod.

Suddenly he was hugging me again, his arms slipping from my shoulders to my waist. And then he was kissing me feverishly, as if he were afraid I would disappear or break or run away.

And I kissed him back, not quite as enthusiastic about it as him.

He was quick about it and demanding, and before I knew it he was trying to push me down onto the ground.

He definitely didn't have his priorities together, did he?

But I pushed him back, and he pulled away slightly, surprise clouding his face.

I grinned devilishly and he grinned back before lowering himself to the ground.

As soon as he did I crouched over him, straddling him, still grinning widely.

I just happened to glance up at that moment, and my eyes widened.

"What is _that_?"

Stu tilted his head back and frowned.

"My dad's sledge hammer." He said.

I stood suddenly, leaving him there and hurrying over to pick up the sledge hammer that was leaning against the big red toolbox.

"Cat!"

I turned to see Stu looking at me, brow furrowed.

"Oh relax. I'm just looking." I said, looking back at it, testing how it felt in my hands.

He stood a few steps away, behind me, watching me closely, obviously not trusting me.

I turned, smiling charmingly at him, and stepped towards him, bringing my hand up to rest it on his chest. In the other I held the sledge hammer, draggng it across the cement floor of the garage.

"Don't worry, baby." I practically purred.

He grinned and leaned in to kiss me….

Just as I, in a flurry of movement, slammed the sledge hammer against his knee, making him crumble from the intense pain.

"Ow! Fuck!"

He looked up at me, confusion and pain and anger broiling in his eyes, but I was moving again and before either of us knew what had happened I was swinging the sledge hammer again, bringing it down on his other knew, making him scream out in pain. This time it was intentional, and the tell-tale cracking sound made it obvious that his knee-cap was broke.

In short, he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

"Cat…"He finally managed to whimper, and I froze looking at him, my eyes meeting his and suddenly I felt horrible.

This all had to be a dream. This couldn't be real. Because in reality, Stu wouldn't do this. He wouldn't kill somebody.

I wanted to wake up. I wanted to open my eyes and realize that everything was okay.

But it wasn't, and it never would be again. Not in a world where Stu was a fucking killer.

"I'm sorry." I finally choked out. "I love you."

And in that moment I realized that I did. Not in the same way I loved Randy but that didn't matter. I had loved Stu first.

And part of me still loved him. Part of me always would.

"I know…"

I brought the sledge hammer slamming down on his temple as the words left his mouth.

I brought it slamming down repeatedly, and I didn't stop until I was splattered with blood and brains and looking at Stu's body with wide eyes, still breathing heavily.

The impact of what I had just done hit me heavily, as if I had run into a brick wall.

It was a huge thing, because I had just taken another person's life. They were dead because of me.

I hated myself for it.

But….I kind of loved myself for it too.

Because in the end, I had the strength to end it. I had been able to stop one of the killers.

Killers….

I turned slowly towards the door to the garage, breath catching in my throat.

God….what was I going to do about Billy.

A sledge hammer wasn't exactly an ideal weapon, and I had to surprise him. Something absolutely nervewracking that would catch him off guard.

Ignoring whatever misgivings I had, I knealt down beside Stu's corpse, searching his pockets for a knife or something.

I found that and a cell phone….and the voice changer.

And suddenly I had a brilliant idea.

I flipped open the cell phone, dialing in the number hurriedly before bringing it to my phone.

"Nine-one-one operator. What is your emergency?"

"The killers are here." I said immediately. "We're at Stu Macher's house on Turner Lane. I…one of the killers is dead. The other is Billy Loomis."

And then I flipped the phone shut, because I figured the sooner I got off the line the better.

And then I was dialing a familiar number.

"Hello?" The voice sounded hesitant and guarded.

"What's your favorite scary movie?"I asked, holding the voice changer to my mouth.

I almost flinched at the sound of the now familiar killer voice.

"The fuck….? Stu, don't play with me man!"

I smirked at Billy's reaction.

"No….Stu's part go cut. Just like yours is about to be. Nobody likes a dry killer Billy, and that's what you are."

"Fuck you!"

"You won't be saying that when the police are strapping you into an electric chair will you? You'll be begging for your life. By the way, the police are on their way. Now, why don't you tell me your pathetic excuse of a motive?"

I was moving out of the garage now, around the side of the house towards the front door.

I was playing hero. I was being stupid.

But I was doing what I had to.

With a jolt, I remembered the butcher knife in my sleeve.

How had I forgotten that.

I allowed it to slide out and gripped it firmly in my hand.

It felt foreign there- uncomfortable. I didn't want to hold it. I didn't want to touch it. But I would rather have used that then the butcher knife I had gotten from Stu.

So I dropped that and kicked it off into the bushes. I didn't want it. Suddenly it was like some kind of cursed object. It had been used to kill people already- people I knew. And because of that it was suddenly disgusting. It was something vile.

The butcher knife felt safer. With a pang it reminded me of Michael Myers.

God, what kind of twisted person did I have to be to think about Michael Myers at a time like that.

But, strangely, it was a comforting thought. It was so familiar that I could take refuge in it. I could curl up in it and forget about everything.

But I wouldn't. The job was only half done, and I wasn't the type of person to half-ass do anything.

So, suddenly, I was movie again, walking towards the front door in a crouched position, trying my best to remain quiet.

I saw Dewey's body lying there, and Gale Weather's lying on top of it.

God, when had that happened?

A yell from inside made me jump, before realizing that I wasn't directed at me.

I was moving again, around the porch so that I could peer in through the living room window.

Feathers from the couch cushions were flying everywhere, shielding everything from my view, and then there was Billy, attacking them with another knife.

But where was Sidney. What had gone wrong?

Was she safe?

"Little bitch! Where are you?"

I couldn't tell if that was directed at Sidney or because of me.

But then Billy was moving down the hallway, freezing near the coat closet, obviously having heard something that I couldn't make out from outside.

He opened the closet carefully, suddenly looking disappointed , before perring around the corner.

Just as a a costume-clad figure erupted from the closet, forcing the metal point of an umbrella into his shoulder.

Billy went down, handing reaching up to cover the wound, and then I was moving too, bounding up onto the porch and into the house.

I froze at the sight of Randy's body, but then looked back up at Sidney, who was watching me with curiosity.

I held up the knife slowly, offering it up as a response to her unspoken question.

"Stu is dead. It's only fair."

The words came out in barely more than a whisper, and then I stepped delicately over Randy and handed Sid the knife.

Billy handn't got up, and I saw that at some point he had gotten stabbed.

My gut tightened at the thought. He had actually intended to go through with his plan. In the end, Stu was the one who betrayed Billy. Most would think it was the other way around.

Sid's hand closed around the handle, and her eyes met mine, and I saw she was trusting me with something. This thing that passed between us….we were refusing, together, to ever be damsels in distress.

We were refusing to lay down and accept what others had planned for us.

She had the knife in her hand and had turned away so that she could plunge it into Billy's stomach.

She pulled it out in one swift movement, making me shudder.

There had been no hesitation when she had stabbed him.

Had I hesitated?

I couldn't remember clearly. I must have, at some point. But, what did that mean, and what did Sidney's lack of hesitation mean?

A hand on my shoulder made me scream and turn around, heart thudding wildly in my chest.

My breath caught in my throat as I found myself looking into familiar blue eyes.

"Randy…"I spoke his name lightly, and reached up carefully to place my hands on his chest.

This was him. It definitely him. There was solid matter under my hands. I could feel him. It wasn't a figment of my imagination.

My arms were around him suddenly, my face pressed into his chest, and I just stood there, smelling him, relishing in his being.

Randy….my Randy was alive. He was alive and so was I an that's all I had wanted in the first place.

I didn't realize I was crying until Randy withdrew slightly and stooped so that we were face to face.

And then he wiped the tears away.

"What a touching reunion."

I looked over his shoulder with a start to see Gale Weather's standing there, looking at us, a slight smirk on her face.

So she was alive too. And she had a gun in her hand.

"Where the hell did you find that?"

My voice cracked as I spoke, and I moved carefully around Randy.

"Oh?" She looked at it before holding it out to me. "He tried to shoot me with it."

I closed my hand around the cold steel, shivering slightly. If I had had this then I could have just shot Stu. Sidney could have just shot Billy.

The sound of skin hitting skin from behind me made me whip around, gun automatically coming up in front of me, safety off, ready to be fired.

Sidney had recoiled, and Billy was sitting up, fist raised. He had punched her, obviously when she wasn't looking

I exhaled before shooting, the shot ringing clear throughout the house as it hit Billy in the throat, making him fall back.

"Is he dead?"

Sidney asked, sitting up after a few moments. I moved forward carefully, still holding the gun.

"No. Standard horror movie rules dictate that this is the moment when the killer comes back to life for one final scare."

As if on cue, Billy sprang up, only to be sent back down by me unloading a bullet into his brain.

"Not in my movie."

I raised my eye to look at the three of them evenly, exhaustion suddenly sweeping over me.

This was it. It was over. I was done.

All I wanted to do now was sleep and forget that this had all happened. I wanted to leave and never, ever think about it again.

But I knew that would never happen.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**It has certainly been a while since I updated, and I apologize for it. Things have been in a frenzy for me these past few months. Senior year has started for me, and I've been made president of the Thespian Club. I am currently failing economics and I recently broke up with my boyfriend on nine-months. This isn't an attempt to make excuses. I was fully aware that I should have worked on this story at some point but I was in no mood to write. But finally, her it is. Only one more short chapter after this. I am going to open a question and answer session after this, where you can ask me any question that you happen to have. Or, you can follow me on tumblr at and ask me questions there. Regarding this chapter, I am truly pleased with Stu's death. I knew I wanted to have Cat kill him. I knew I wanted it to be with a sledge hammer. It turned out precisely the way I wanted it. Billy's death, however was another thing entirely. Originally I had planned to just have Sidney kill him, but I knew if she did then it would make the two girls mirror each other, and I didn't want that. I wanted Cat to be set apart somehow. This isn't Sidney's story, it's Cat's. I wanted this to therefore be more evidence of that. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Scream'.**

* * *

"_Fred Krueger did it, Daddy. And only I can get him. It's my nightmare he comes to_."

_Nancy, 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (1984)_

* * *

I woke up screaming. Again.

Screaming and screaming, unable to get those visuals out of my head.

Stu's caved in and shattered skull.

Billy's glazed over eyes staring into my eyes.

Tatum's body, broken and lifeless.

God, how many times had I dreamed about it. How many times had I begged and pleaded with myself to make it go away. To forget about it.

But I couldn't. There was no way I could forget it.

My screams gradually died down, and I rolled out of bed, standing slowly, my legs shakey.

God, I was tired. I couldn't remember the last time I had slept decently. Before the murders definitely.

Before my world went to hell. Not everything was bad of course. I still had Randy. Sidney and I were there for each other. But, God, it was always so evident that Billy and Stu and Tatum were gone. Our friends were gone.

We were all soldiers, with the scars to show for it.

I moved out of my room, heading towards the bathroom.

A shower would help. Besides that, I still had to go to school. I still had to look like I was okay, and act like I was okay. I had to be okay to avoid the looks of pity and worry, because then I would really blow up on somebody.

I showered quickly, before getting dressed. I wore simple clothes, not bothering to really pay attention to what I was wearing.

I was ready quickly and went to leave before my mother had even woken up.

It was on my way out that I saw the big white envelope addressed to me, from Windsor College.

I froze, staring at it, half expecting it to disappear.

I snatched it up quickly, hope flaring in my chest for the first time in a very long time.

If I got it, I would be leaving Woodsboro. I would be leaving this town and hopefully the memories behind. I knew Randy had applied too, and so had Sidney, and with any luck we would get accepted.

But then, my luck hadn't been very good as of late.

I threw the envelope in my passener seat, before driving to Randy's house in a daze.

That's how my time was usually spent now, in a daze. Better than crying all the damn time. I knew, deep down, when I came out of whatever slump I was stuck in, things would be different. Excrutiatingly different. I would not be the same person I had been before this whole ordeal. This had always been apparent in my mind, since that night at home when I had been attacked. Even then though, I couldn't even try to predict how I would be affected. Then, I hadn't know that Billy and Stu were the killers. Then, I didn't know how heavily killing my two former friends would weigh on my mind. I hadn't realized just how much Stu's final words would affect me.

My mother had tried to put me into counseling after everything that had happened, but I would hear none of it. I was barely past the stage of admitting my problems to myself, and whatever problems I had, I would be the one to take care of them. I have never been the type of person to shove my problems and weaknesses into the hands of someone else, and besides that the simple fact remained that I had done what needed to be done, and unless whatever therapist my mother got me had ever ended a life then they couldn't even begin to understand my feelings. And they were just that. They were _my_ feelings. Nobody else's.

I pulled up to Randy's house early and so I just sat there, finally resolving to turning my music on, and letting the soothing sound of Alanis Morrisette wash over me.

I sat there for nearly thirty minutes, until Randy came out at the usual time I was there to pick him up.

His front door opened and shut and I opened one eye, not even realizing that I had been dozing off. Well that was something at least. It was hard enough sleeping in my own room. I'd figured sleeping anywhere else would be impossible.

He opened my passenger door and got inside, giving me that grin of his.

I smiled back as best I could, but I'll be the first to admit that after everything, my smiles tended to come off as more of a grimace.

"What's this?"

He asked, pulling the envelope out from under him and holding it up.

"From Windsor. I haven't opened it yet."

He nodded slowly, before reaching into his bag and pulling out an identical envelope, only this one was adressed to Randall Meeks.

"I haven't opened mine either."

I stared at him for a moment, not quite sure what to say. No words left my mouth until finally…

"I'll open yours if you open mine."

* * *

**Author's Note: There you haven't. The final installment of this particular story. To be quite honest I wasn't quite sure where I wanted to go with this epilogue of sorts, other than wanting it to set things up for the sequel, and to be honest I think it did that quite nicely. I'd like to thank all those who reviewed and followed and favorited this story. I know that the 'Scream' fandom isn't a huge one to write stories for, and so the fact that I got so many good reviews in this fandom is wonderful. I'm so proud of myself for finishing this story, and I can honestly say that I am proud of this story. I do know that I will start working on the sequel soon, so you can all be on watch for that. But, as of right now, as I'm typing these final words in this Author's Note, this story is complete. Oh, and for those that are interested this is the playlist I have compiled for this story: playlist?list=PLmbPRKEc6PnZXrHNbqB70VAaEXZ tEmKjQ&feature=mh_lolz**


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